Getting The Girl
by x.danielle.x1013
Summary: "Geez, it is like you two are having eye sex. I swear, and you say the pansy doesn't like you," Trish scoffed to her best friend." /"Because...because he wants what I want," Austin claimed in a whisper, and Ally stared at him in shock and confusion. "I really like you, Ally Dawson." / Austin Moon has everything anyone could want in high school. Except for the girl. *Comical Auslly*
1. Chapter 1

Boy after boy piled into the weight room cheering at the current victory they had just gained from the previous football game. Pats, slaps, and yells were exchanged as Austin Moon smiled to himself, taking off his jersey and shoulder pads, leaving him in his white, sweaty tank.

"Moon. How in the hell did you pull off that last play," Jacob Smith questioned as he slapped the blonde's shoulder twice. Austin let out a chuckle before turning to them.

"Because I am awesome. What else could there be?" He joked before he turned back to his locker, placing his jersey in there, along with his shoulder pads and helmet.

"Well I just hope that you can pull off a play like that at the homecoming game because you are going to be the talk of homecoming week," Shane Davis spoke out, walking over to his two teammates.

Homecoming week. The week of the biggest game of the season, against the school's biggest rival. The school's way of celebrating the game consisted of having a parade in the middle of their town, a dress up day for each day of the week, and on the night of the big game, each football player is to give his jersey to a lucky girl, they then have a homecoming dance right after in the gym.

To the left of them, the three heard a scoff and turned to see Dallas Harris rolling his eyes.

"What Dal? Are you mad because Austin made the famous play tonight and you didn't," Davis teased his best friend, and Austin discretely rolled his hazel eyes. Dallas Harris and Austin Moon, enemies on and off the field, and everyone knew it too. Dallas was the star player on varsity as a sophomore until Austin decided to join, filling Dallas' spot as Quarterback, causing him to be moved to the offensive line.

"Shut the hell up Shane. We going to grab a bite," Dallas asked, shoving the last of his things into his locker before dressing himself.

"There is this great new place in the mall, we could eat there," Austin's best friend, Dezmond Worthy, claimed from his place on the wooden bench, tying his shoelaces.

"Alright, let's head out," Smith exclaimed at his four teammates, and they all grabbed their gym bags before exiting the weight room.

Walking down the track, weaving through the left-over people from the game, Smith noticed a certain person walking in their direction.

"Look, Moon, crush alert," Smith teased the blonde, and the statement caused him to look up from his phone to make eye contact with the petite, brunette figure walking in their direction, having a deep conversation with her Latina friend.

Austin skimmed over the brunette's figure, the tight cheerleading uniform she wore suited her body perfectly. Her long, slim, tanned legs moved at a steady pace causing her short skirt to sweep with each movement. She dug through her purse in search of something, and she nodded her head every few seconds to assure the short, Latina that she was listening. Her perfectly curled, brunette locks were up in a high ponytail, bouncing with each movement of her head.

Ally Dawson. The captain of the cheer squad, straight-A student, currently a junior in high school, and has been Austin's crush since his sophomore year, ever since seeing her as a freshman on the cheer squad. They made causal conversation every once in a while and had some class together, not many considering he was a year older, but they still were aquatinted with each other.

"Oh, Moon's got a crush," Davis joked, his voice in a high octave, nudging his side, and the four laughed as Austin rolled his eyes. Yet; there was still a slight tint of pink to his cheeks.

"Shut up Davis," Austin stated, not amused.

"He's blushing. Damn Austin, you got it bad," Dez exclaimed, laughter evident in his voice as the three of the five laughed.

Austin glanced at each of them but stopped when noticing Dallas, a smirk on his lips, and his eyes scanning the lovely brunette.

 _Oh, hell no…_

Austin glared at the brunette, football player as Dallas looked over catching it. He smirked at him before turning back to the brunette.

"Nice legs," Dallas commented, and Austin went to say something, but stopped when he heard Ally's voice.

"Great game, Austin," Ally praised, stopping right in front of the five football players that were all giants compared to her tiny figure.

Austin smiled and flicked his sweaty, blonde hair out of his eyes before answering.

"Thanks," he commented, and Ally smiled up at him, showing her perfect, white teeth.

"You are very welcome," she chuckled lightly. Austin smiled before feeling eyes on the two, and turned his head to see Dallas eyeing the two of them, Austin turned back to her.

"So, Ally, we were going to go grab a bite, you girls want to come," he asked the two.

Ally let out a sigh before answering, "I would love too, but I can't. I have a book review due Monday, and I haven't started a word," she stated sadly adjusting her gym bag as best she could with her water, purse, keys, and phone in her hand.

Austin reached forward, and grabbed her gym bag, placing it on his shoulder. Ally blushed and looked down before smiling at him gratefully.

"Ally Dawson a procrastinator. I don't believe what I'm hearing, if you don't want to hang out with me, just say so." Austin teased her, and Ally laughed.

"Man, I thought my excuse would work," she joked, faking a distressed look.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up to you. I'm going to take this to her car," he exclaimed, looking at the four behind him. They nodded while throwing him some teasing looks, and Austin rolled his eyes at his friends.

"Austin, you don't have to do that," Ally exclaimed, grabbing at her gym bag, but Austin moved it out of her reach.

"My mother always taught me to be a gentleman, wouldn't want to let her down," he stated, and Ally let out a chuckle before giving up. She bid a goodbye to Trish before leading herself and Austin to her Altima that sat in the dark, abandoned parking lot.

Reaching the car, Ally popped the trunk, and Austin placed her brightly colored, blue and yellow gym bag in the neat trunk. "Thanks, you really didn't have to do that," she spoke as she leaned up against the back of the car. "No, it's cool. Are you sure you can't come and eat with us," he asked once more with hopeful eyes. Ally's face softened, and she sighed.

"I really would if I could," she said giving him a small, apologetic smile.

"Alright, well I'll see you on Monday. Yeah?"

"Yep, and again, great game," she said, unlocking the car door. "Thanks."

Turning around, Austin went to walk meet his friends but froze.

 _Now or never, Moon._

"Hey, Als," Austin called out. He turned to see Ally with her car door open about to get in.

"Yeah?"

Austin lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck nervously. "I was wondering -," He got cut off with none other than the honking of a car horn.

The sudden noise from behind Austin made the duo jump. "Moon, come on! They are going to close soon," Austin heard the voice of Dallas and rolled his eyes. He turned around to see all of the guys in Dallas's truck. "One second," he said, with a glare.

He turned back to Ally, only to see her with her phone up to her ear. "Yeah dad, I'm leaving now." "No dad, I am starting it when I get home. Okay. Bye, love you too," Ally spoke quickly before hanging up, and turning back to Austin. "I am sorry, Austin; my dad is on me about that book review. I really need to go, you wanted to ask me something," she asked, throwing her phone into her car.

Austin nodded and went to open his mouth to ask her again, but Dallas honked the truck horn for the second time. "Moon, come on," Dallas yelled impatiently, and he took in a sharp breath. "I need to go too, apparently. I'll ask you Monday," he informed her sadly, and she sent him a smile before nodding.

Austin turned sharply, glaring at the driver in the dark, navy blue truck. He walked over to it, and hopped into the back with Dez and Jacob. "What the hell dude? What time do they freaking close," he asked, directing the last question to Dez.

"At 11."

Austin looked at the time on Dallas's dash and saw it was 9:30. Austin clenched his jaw, and he saw Dallas smirk.

/

"Ally!"

Ally heard a deep, masculine voice call out her name, and she turned to see Dallas Harris making his way quickly to her. She tilted her head in confusion but walked to meet him. She clenched her books tighter to her chest as she approached him. There were many stories on Dallas Harris, from his rivalry with Austin too how he treated girls.

Ally looked around the hallway to see nobody, and she sighed as she met eyes with Dallas, and forced a smile on her face. "Dallas. Hey, what's up," she questioned as she checked the time on her watch. It was the end of the day, and she was on her way to the football field to practice with the girls.

"Sorry to bother you, just saw you heading this way, and thought I would walk with you," Dallas smiled, what he probably thought was a 'charming' smile, but it really made Ally uneasy. "Okay," Ally commented, and they walked side by side, Dallas moving closer with each step.

"Do you want me to carry those for you," Dallas asked, referring to her books. She smiled, and lightly refused, "no, it's okay."

"I was just about to put them in my locker," she lied, walking up to her locker. She had homework, but she did not need him carrying her books to football and cheer practice. The last thing she wanted was anyone to think that Dallas and she were a thing.

 _But you didn't mind with Austin…_

Ally heard a little voice in the back of her mind as she placed her last textbook in her locker, and she smiled. It was true, she did not mind. She blushed at the thought and closed her locker. She turned to see Dallas looking her up and down with his eyes.

Clearing her throat, she slightly hardened them, and he snapped his eyes back up to her and smirked. Ally furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. He stepped closer to her, backing her up to the lockers, and placed his hand up to her cheek, leaning down. Ally cringed at the touch and moved her head to the side, but he did not budge.

"You are really hot, Ally Dawson," Dallas whispered huskily before quickly leaning down, and placed his lips roughly on hers. Ally's breathe quickened, her eyes widened, and she shoved him away from her. "Dallas, what the hell is wrong with you," Ally stared up at him in shock and disgust as she wrapped her mouth with her forearm.

Dallas smirked, and placed his hands tightly on her hips. She tried to back away, but she trapped between him and the lockers. "You know you want me, Ally," Dallas whispered, and leaned back down. Ally turned her head and shut her eyes tightly as she squirmed, causing him to tighten his grip.

Suddenly, Dallas's grip left her, and she heard him grunt. "Dallas, what the hell!" Ally heard a familiar, enraged voice growl, feeling someone step in front of her protectively. "Well, Moon, I was trying to hit on a pretty girl," he heard Dallas spat angrily, she opened her eyes to see Austin glaring at Dallas, standing in front of her.

"No, more like you were forcing yourself on her," Austin corrected in hatred. "Whatever, I don't need this," Dallas muttered and walked down the hall. Ally stared at his retreating figure in shock as she questioned what just happened.

"Ally, are you okay," Austin asked gently, looking down at her. Ally looked from Dallas up to Austin's warm, hazel eyes. She smiled, "yeah Austin, I'm fine. He is Dallas, I am pretty sure I am not the first girl he has done that too," Ally spoke as she bent down to pick up her things that had fallen from her purse.

Austin bent down to help her, and handed them to her, helping her up afterward. "Are you sure, because I can go get someone," Austin asked her seriously, and Ally chuckled. Placing her hands on his chest, she stared up at him smiling brightly. "Austin, I promise," she smiled as she stared up at him, but froze still when noticing how close they were. Her arms on his chest, and somehow his hands were placed gently on her hips.

Both frozen in their spot, they stared at each other for a few moments longer before Ally pulled away chuckling breathlessly. "So, walk me to practice," Ally asked in question as she bit her lip nervously, blushing as she asked the question. Austin chuckled and nodded as he smiled at her.

Before they could walk, a realization hit Austin, and he turned around, opening Ally's locker. "Austin, what are you-," Ally questioned, but stopped when Austin pulled out the books she had before. "We have these classes together, and we have homework tonight," Austin confirmed with the rise of his eyebrows, and Ally sheepishly looked down before laughing. She reached out to grab them, but Austin shook his head. "Nope," he stated and Ally laughed, letting him carry her books for her.

Because apparently, he was the only one she'd let do it, and he wanted it to stay that way…

/

"I'm telling you, Ally, Austin totally likes you. I mean, what guys offer to take a girl's gym bag to their car, beats up their own teammate for you, carries your books, and walks you to practice," Trish spoke with questions as Ally called for a water break. Ally rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her water as they both stared over the practicing football team.

"Um, gentlemen, Trish," Ally stated as if it were obvious. "Whatever, he so likes you. Dallas has never wanted you until Austin started acting so close to you," Trish commented. "We have always been friends Trish, there is no difference," Ally stated as she continued to stare over at football field to see them doing workouts.

"True, you two have been flirting buddies sense freshmen year, but I think Austin might finally grow some balls and ask you out," Trish snorted, Ally shot her a look of disapproval before turning back, and Trish shrugged.

"I mean Dallas is his rival. Not that Dallas wouldn't like you, just that, Dallas knows you would never give him the time of day," Trish rambled, but stopped when she noticed that her best friend and captain had stopped drinking her water, and was staring over at a sweaty, out of breath, _shirtless_ Austin.

Trish smirked as she watched Ally's eyes travel up and down his tone, fit body. His sweaty forehead, abs, and hair glistened in the sun, and his bicep muscles flexed as he held his arm up with a football in his hand, positioning himself to pass it. Ally tilted her head up, and then to the side, completely in a daze, her eyes glazed over as she stared at him.

As if sensing, someone was staring at him, Austin looked over at her and smirked when he caught her staring. Ally quickly snapped out of her daze and blushed looking down. Looking back up at him, she watched as Austin trailed his eyes slowly, skimming over her body with a smirk. He took in the fact that she was wearing black, tight, fitting alethic, cheer shorts, and a school's muscle shirt that was ripped, showing her sides, flat stomach, and her black sports bra. Catching her gaze once again, he winked at her before continuing on with practice.

"Geez, it's like you two are having eye sex," Trish commented with an eye roll and smirk, and Ally snapped her head towards her best friend. "Trish," Ally spoke in shock, and Trish shrugged. "What it is, and you know it," Trish spoke as a matter of a fact. Ally bit her lip and glanced over at him quickly before shaking her head.

"Okay, girls in position," Ally yelled and felt someone's gaze on her. She looked over her shoulder to see him staring, this time he glanced down and back up with a blush. She smirked and sent him a wink in return.

/

Austin slung his gym bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the weight room. He looked at him to see Dez and Shane cutting up in the room, and laughed. Before he could tell what happened, he bumped into someone, and they fell.

"Ow!" He heard a female voice cry, and he looked down to see Trish sitting on her butt, looking up at him. "Trish, I am so, so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he commented as he helped her up, and helped her grab her things. "Wow, Ally is right. You really are a gentleman," Trish commented, and Austin looked up at her.

"Ally talks about me," Austin asked, and Trish nodded as if it were obvious. "Yep, talks about you all the time, I swear you two are like lovesick puppies," Trish stated, and Austin's eye widened. "What, no-no, that's not true" Austin lied, looking everywhere but her.

"And I thought Ally was a bad lair," Trish muttered. "But admit it blondie, you like my best friend, you like her a lot," Trish urged him to admit, and Austin sighed as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Yeah, I like her a lot, and I was actually gonna ask her out today, but that stuff with Dallas happened if you know what I am talking about," he spoke, and Trish nodded.

"I know, she came back all giddy," Trish commented with an eye roll of disgust. "Why not ask her out today, because I can grantee she won't say no," Trish told him, and his eyes lit up. "She likes me," Austin asked and Trish nodded. "I mean, she hasn't told me yet, but I can read my best friend like a book. Plus, you two were basically having eye sex a second ago on the field." Austin looked down and blushed.

"Look blondie, Ally's dad had to take her car for something this morning, and she was gonna catch a ride from me, but I'll just say that I have a family emergency. Then you offer her a ride, deal," Trish informed, and Austin thought about it before nodding.

"Okay, here she comes. Act natural," Trish ordered, and he nodded. "Hey Austin, what's up," Ally asked as she stared up at her sweaty friend. Austin laughed and gestured down to his, _oh so fine,_ body. Ally giggled and refrained herself from checking him out.

She looked up to see Trish with a nervous look on her face as she stared at her phone. "Trish, what's wrong," Ally asked in concern, and Trish looked up from her cell. "Als, my mom said I need to get home really quickly due to a family emergency, I really have to go. I am sorry," Trish lied, and Austin was impressed at how well she was pulling it off.

Ally smiled at her reassuringly, "Trish, go. I'll just call my dad to give me a ride."

"Wait, Ally. Why don't I just give you a ride? There is no telling how long you will have to wait, and after earlier," Austin trailed and Ally pondered before smiling up at him. "Are you sure," Ally asked, and Austin nodded as calmly as he could.

"Okay, I'll see you, Trish. Call me," Ally stated, and Trish nodded, hurrying to her car. "Let's go," Ally questioned, and Austin smiled nodding, reaching to take her gym bag. Ally smiled and blushed as he slung it over his other shoulder.

Reaching the back of Austin's truck, Austin placed both of the gym bags in the neat truck bed, and walked over to Ally's side, opening the door for her. Ally blushed once again and thanked him.

As they drove to Ally's house, they went back and forth from talking to sitting in a comfortable silence. Pulling up to her drive, Ally thanked him and went to open the truck door before Austin stopped her.

"Ally, wait."

Ally turned to Austin in confusion, "yeah?"

"Listen, Ally, about today with Dallas, I am really sorry about that," Austin apologized and Ally sent him a look of confusion. "Austin, you didn't do anything. Don't worry about it," Ally spoke gently as she placed a hand on Austin's. Austin stared at their hands before looking up at her again.

"I know, but Dallas did that because, because he wants to take what I want," Austin commented, and Ally looked at him in confusion and shock. "He knows that I really like you, and he knew that I wanted to ask you out last Friday night, that is why he continued to honk the horn, and force himself on you in the hallway like that," Austin explained nervously as he stared down at their hands, scared of her reaction.

"Austin," Ally whispered quietly, and Austin looked up to see Ally smiling. "I really like you too," she admitted shyly, and Austin's smile brightened before clearing his throat. "Well, in that case, would you, Ally Dawson, let me have the honor of taking you out on a date tomorrow night," Austin asked with the playful, cocky smirk that he always wore.

Ally giggled, and nodded, blushing. "Yes Austin, I would love too," she spoke, and Austin smiled even brighter if that was possible. "Well, I'll pick you up at 5:30, dress causal," Austin informed her, and Ally looked at him in confusion. "Where are we going," Ally asked, and Austin smirked.

"That is for me to know, and you to find out," he smirked and Ally smiled, rolling her eyes good-heartedly. "Okay, goodbye Austin," Ally bid him a goodbye, and he smiled, but got out of the truck to grab her bag and walk her to her door.

"Now it's goodbye," he whispered close to her face, she smiled and nodded. She leaned up to kiss his cheek, before finally walking inside. Ally smiled to herself as she leaned against the closed door. Ally pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to see a text message from Trish.

 _You're Welcome ;)_

Ally's eyes widened, and she smiled before searching through her recent calls for her best friend…


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on guys! 5,6,7,8, step and up," Ally's counting echoed through the massive sized gym as she studied the movements of each member on the cheer squad. Ally sighed as Brooke Stevens failed to hold her balance on Leo's shoulders. With a scream, Brooke fell forward, and Leo caught her by the waist, setting her on her feet gently.

"Okay, let's try again."

"Ally, are you serious! I almost died," Brooke screeched, and Ally rolled her eyes, used to Brooke's ways. "Brooke, you didn't almost die. I caught you," Leo defended his captain against the overdramatic brunette. Brooke huffed, and walked back to her starting position. Ally sent Leo a grateful smile, and turned back to her squad.

"Okay. 5,6,7,8, step and up," Ally counted for what felt like the thousandth time that day. She watched as the members made it halfway through the routine perfectly before some started to lose their balance, started falling from their positions, or bumped into each other.

Ally let out a frustrated groaned. "Everyone take 10," Ally shouted, fed up with the lack of trying and energy from the squad. Everyone walked over to the bleachers, and grabbed their beverages, towels, and took a seat in order to rest.

Ally ran a hand through her messy, curled hair, and sat on the bottom bench of the bleacher. Placing her elbows on her knees and head in her hands, Ally tried thinking of ways to make the routine easier.

"What's up, Chica," Trish questioned in concern as she sat beside her best friend, Ally looked up at Trish, sending her a small smile. "Nothing, I am just trying to think of ways to make the routine easier, but there is no way to make it easier," Ally informed, and Trish shook her head.

"No, that's not it. You know that we always take time to learn routines like this, plus you are losing your cool a lot sooner than usual today. So, what's really up," Trish argued, and Ally stared at her best friend in shock, and cursed mentally at how well Trish knew her.

"It's the date with Austin," Ally admitted shyly, and Trish's smile grew. "Ally, why are you stressing over this? Austin really likes you, and you really like him. You two have been friends since your freshmen year," Trish listed off a bunch of facts that Ally already knew, but that didn't settled Ally's anxiety any less.

"I know that Trish, but I really like Austin. What if this doesn't work," Ally questioned, and she saw Trish's face grow serious. "No. No. No. Ally Dawson, you are not pulling that 'What If' bull shit, okay? Just be yourself, and go with the flow. It's Austin we are talking about here. The insanely hot, sweetheart of a quarterback with an incredible ass."

"Ohh, Ally has a date with the insanely hot, superstar quarterback. Damn girl, you better take advantage of that ass tonight," Leo Mitchell enthusiastically spoke his opinion as he sat himself crisscrossed on the gym floor in front of the two girls.

Trish threw her head back in laughter as Ally felt her cheeks flare, putting her head down to cover her face with her nappy hair. "Leo, shut the hell up. Your boyfriend wouldn't be too happy to hear those words from your mouth," Ally claimed, and Leo leaned forward. "Well lucky for you and me, he won't hear those words now will he. As he is in a totally different state," Leo stated seriously, and Ally rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"When did this happen, and why didn't you tell me," Leo questioned, and Ally shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It's not that big of a deal! Bitch! Not that big of a deal my ass," Leo smarted off to her, but having known Leo for the last four years of her life, Ally didn't take his name calling to heart. In fact, she enjoyed his sarcastic, smartass wit.

"Leo, it happened yesterday evening," Ally informed him, and Leo looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Wait, stop," Leo ordered, placing a finger to her lips from his spot on the floor. Damn him and his long arms!

"You were asked out by one of the hottest guys in this entire school no more than 24 hours ago, and you are just now telling me. You can tell your best girlfriend, but you can't tell your best gay friend. Nah, we are over! Done," Leo declared dramatically, and stood up walking away from the duo.

The girls stared at his retreating figure, and halfway across the gym floor, he turned around to run back to his sitting position on the gym floor. "Tell me everything now!"

Ally held in a giggle, and tried to keep a straight face. "But I thought we were done Leo," Ally asked seriously, and Leo waved his hand, dismissing the previous issue. "I'm over it. Now, tell me!" Leo pleaded.

The three friends erupted into laughter. Suddenly, she felt so much better.

/

Not.

Ally recently got home from her cheer practice, and was now standing in front of her closet, in nothing but a towel, wondering what in the hell she would wear. She remembered Austin telling her to dress casual, but her casual was far from what she wanted to wear on a date, no matter what they were doing.

Looking over at the digital clock on her bedside, it read 3:15. Grabbing her cell, she sent a SOS to Leo and Trish through their group chat.

Not even 15 minutes late, Leo and Trish both walked through her bedroom door to spot their friend in a towel and dripping wet hair.

"Oh sweetie, you really are stressing huh," Leo questioned as he sat on the end of her bed. Nodding, she answered their unasked questions. "Austin told met to dress casual, but you both know that my casual is…just, ugh. I need suggestions on what to wear," Ally stated, and Leo and Trish looked at each other.

"Okay, I'll do your hair and makeup, Leo can pick out an outfit. Come on, you are a hot mess," Trish voiced as she lead Ally into the bathroom, and shutting the door.

Leo and Trish looked at Ally who stood in front of them, all dressed and ready for when Austin arrived. Leo nodded in approval. "Damn, we are good," Trish commented, and Leo silently held his hand out for a high five.

"Well? Can I look now," Ally asked in annoyance. They had been staring her up and down for the past five minutes, and they had yet to let her see.

"Yes Als, you may see," Trish pointed to Ally's full body mirror, and Ally stepped in front of it.

"Wow guys!" Ally exclaimed excitedly as she stared at her reflection. She styled a long sleeved, white and black striped shirt matched with a simple, black skater skirt. A sleeveless, army green vest pulled the entire outfit together, and her Chuck Taylor converses bring out the casual vibe.

Large, wavy curls were cascading down her back and shoulders, the blonde ombre shining when in direct light. A light amount of make rested upon her face, and Ally was surprised that Trish didn't go overboard.

Her skin color was evenly displayed all throughout her face, no longer portraying acne and pimples. Her cheeks popped with a rosy pink, and neutral eyeshadows were placed upon her eyelids neatly and blended to perfection.

The makeup covered her dark under eyes and worry lines from countless hours of worry and lack of sleep. Her lash line was rimmed with black colored gel, and her eyelashes were darker and longer, making her brown, doe-eyes pop with life.

She looked lively, and cheerful. Her smile was brighter, her eyes popped with color, her skin was radiated and shiny. Her volumized, freshly washed hair framed her face correctly, and color of her hair made her Florida sun kissed skin glow with her leftover summer tan.

"Why Trish, I think you do a better job on my makeup than I do," Ally complimented, and Trish smiled in thanks. "Leo, this outfit is amazing, I would have never thought to pair these together," Ally admitted, and Leo piped up.

"Thank ya, and since Trish and you were in there forever, I went through your entire closet, putting together outfit after outfit. I basically organized your wardrobe for you. You have so many clothes that you don't wear, it was like heading to Narnia in there. I thought I was never coming back. And I swear if I see you wear the same outfit twice in two weeks, I will cut you," Leo rambled, and Ally laughed. "You know that most people wear only 10% of their entire wardrobe, its statistics," Ally spoke as she twirled around to look at her backside.

"Well bitch, you are not about to be a statistic," Leo ordered and fell back on her king sized bed. Ally rolled her eyes with a smile, and then Ally heard the doorbell ring. "Oh, he's here," Ally exclaimed, and ran over to grab her purse, keys, and phone.

"Bye guys," Ally said, but before she could exit her bedroom, Trish grabbed her elbow. "Stop, check-up," Trish spoke out, and Ally rolled her eyes before stepping in front of Trish. "Breath." Ally opened her mouth, and Trish smelled her breath. "Minty fresh, lipstick check," Trish said, and Ally smiled widely, Trish making sure there was no bright red lipstick on her perfectly white teeth.

"Perfume check." Trish leaned down, and smelled Ally's neck for perfume. "Finally, clothing check." Ally spun around once, and Trish ran her eyes up and down the petite brunette, taking in the clothing and making sure nothing was out of place.

"Okie dokie, you are all good to go babe," Trish confidently spoke with a nod, and Ally laughed. "Alright, I'll be back later. Wish me luck," Ally called as she was already half way down the stairs.

"Good luck," her two best friend's yelled from the top of the stair case, and Ally chuckled before opening her front door to reveal her blonde, hunky date.

Austin went to say something before taking in her choice of wardrobe and makeup. "Wow, Ally you look beautiful," Austin commented, and Ally blushed. "Thanks Austin, you don't look bad yourself."

Austin rocked black skin tight jeans, a red leather jacket supporting a white tee underneath. His hair was messy, and textured with gel while still flopping perfectly to the right. "Why thank you. Ready to go love," Austin questioned in a scary good English accent as he held out his arm for her to take.

"Why yes, yes I am," Ally answered back, and they walked their way towards Austin's pick-up. "So, where are we going," Ally questioned as Austin cranked the truck, it roaring to life. "Well Miss. Dawson, you are going to have to see for yourself," Austin smirked, and Ally sighed while rolling her eyes.

"You are so difficult," Ally complained, and Austin blew a kiss at her.

"Don't deny you don't enjoy it."

/

"The carnival," Ally squealed, bouncing in her seat staring out the window at all the lights and rides. "Trish told me you had been dying to go, so I ordered the tickets. Ready," Austin asked. Ally nodded with a large smile, and hopped out of the truck.

The smell of popcorn and cotton candy filled the aroma around her. Laughter, the sounds of the rides, and voices of different people were the only sounds that were heard through her sensitive ears.

Austin walked beside Ally through the gates of the carnival, and Ally looked around at all the rides as Austin paid for the tickets. She was lost in a world of amazement, and all the colorful lights when she felt someone gently grab her shoulder.

Jumping, Ally turned around and ran straight into Austin's chest, all the while tripping back. Catching her before she could hit the ground, Austin chuckled as he pulled her back onto her feet. "You all right there jumpy," Austin questioned, and Ally placed her head down so her fallen hair could hide her blushing cheeks.

After a moment or two, the duo still stood in the middle of the entrance way too absorbed into each other to notice that they were still wrapped in each other's arms, or that they were in people's way.

"So, ready to go ride some rides," Austin questioned lightly, as he stared into the eyes of the brunette beauty in his current hold. Pulling herself back into reality, Ally nodded with a smile, pulling herself out of his hold to walk beside him. The two walked down the lanes of crowded people, taking in their options of the rides.

"So, what ride do you want to ride," Austin asked, itching to find out ones that scared hold, just so he could have an excuse to hold her. Cliché? He knew. Did he care? Nope.

"Hmm, what about the twister," Ally suggested, and Austin nodded as they walked over to where the ride was letting on the next group. Lucky for them, they didn't have to wait. Austin helped Ally onto the silver platform, and they walked over to where two seats where connected with two others on a small platform of their own.

As soon as everyone was strapped in, and ready to go, they silver platform started to turn, along with the chairs as they moved in their own way. Soon, Austin and Ally were being jerked from side to side and spun around in circles.

Soon the ride came to an end, and Ally laughed as Austin tried to flatten his hair. "This isn't funny, this takes a lot of work," Austin whined, and Ally chuckled before standing on her tips toes to reach the top of his head with her fingers.

Being forced to bend down slightly, Austin felt his eyes close in pleasure at the feeling of Ally running her fingers through his hair. But the pleasure ended all to quickly as soon as Ally announced that she was finished.

Trusting her judgment, Austin left his hair alone, and started walking beside Ally along the lanes to the next set of rides. When spotting the pirate ship, Austin felt a smirk making its way to his face.

"Hey Ally, wanna ride the pirate ship," Austin questioned, and Ally turned to see what Austin was suggesting. When spotting the non-moving ride, Ally gave Austin a questioning look. "What does it do," Ally asked, and Austin felt his eyes widen. "You have never ridden the pirate ship," Austin exclaimed, and Ally laughed while shaking her head.

"No, I never come to the carnival," Ally admitted, and Austin smirked before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the ride. While standing in line, and watching it go, Ally began to grow nervous.

"Austin, are you sure this is safe," Ally questioned, and Austin shot his gaze down to her, his eyes softening at the sight of her face. "Yes Als, I'm positive it is safe. I've ridden it a billion times, it just brings you in the air and drops you," Austin explained, and Ally nodded.

When upon the ride, Ally sat beside Austin on the bench, him bringing the bar down over their laps. Soon, the ride starting swaying back and forth, them getting higher and higher with each swing.

About the third swing, Ally felt her entire stomach drop as did the ride, and Ally felt sick. Gripping Austin's arm tightly, she unknowingly pushed her face into his shoulder, cursing him for making them sit on the very back, making them go up the highest.

Austin wrapped a steady arm around her shaking figure, and brought her closer to his chest holding her as best he could so she wouldn't feel the drastic drop. After what felt like forever to Ally, the ride finally slowed, and Ally rose to her shaky feet, still gripping Austin.

As they walked down the stairwell, Ally gripped Austin tightly and still felt shaken. "Als, are you okay. I didn't know I would scare you that bad," Austin claimed gently, moving the fallen hair out of her face.

Ally nodded, and swallowed the sickening feeling in her stomach. "I just didn't like the drop, I felt as if I was falling," Ally informed him, and he lightly chuckled. Leaning down, Austin kissed her exposed forehead, freezing when realizing his actions. Did he really just do that?

But Austin smiled when she only leaned her head down to his chest, snuggling into him as far as she could…

/

Austin and Ally walked out of the carnival hand in hand, laughing at the current stuffed kola that all held in her clutch. "I can't believe out of all the stuffed animals you could have chosen, you chose the purple kola with an eye patch," Austin stated in shock, and Ally continued to laugh while holding her stomach.

"What, he is cute," Ally claimed, holding it up at arm's length in front of her. "I mean, he you close one eye, and kinda tilt your head…," Ally trailed off, and Austin held his stomach in laughter. "What are you gonna name him," Austin questioned, wiping a stray tear of laughter from his face.

"Hmmm," Ally thought staring at the colorful stuffed bear. "How about Captain Pinky," Austin suggested seriously as they walked by a numerous amount of games, and booths. Ally threw her head back laughing, her once perfectly curled hair now tousled and waved from the evening's events, cascaded down her back.

"Austin, he's purple," Ally reminded him, and he nodded. "Yes I know, but imange when people ask for his name. Instead of saying something with purple, you would say Captain Pinky. They would never suspect that," Austin explained his logic, and Ally chuckled before nodding.

"Captain Pinky it is," Ally confirmed with a nod, and Austin smiled throwing his arm over her shoulders. She smiled lightly at him, and snuggled further into him.

"So, it is 8 o'clock. I want to take you somewhere. What time do you have to be home," Austin questioned, and Ally shrugged. "Dad's not home, so whenever I feel like," Ally told him, and Austin gasped.

"Ally Dawson, it is a school night. You shouldn't be staying out so late," Austin joked, and Ally giggled. "Says the guy who _is_ keeping me out late," Ally accused with raised eyebrows. "You are right, but you'll enjoy it," Austin claimed leaning down to get closer to her as they had stopped right outside his truck.

"How can you be so sure," Ally questioned playfully, but her breath hitched when he pressed their noses together, his lips so close to touching hers.

"If you enjoyed the view from the top of the Ferris wheel, then you will enjoy this," Austin whispered surly, and Ally watched as his eyes switched to her parted lips. She nodded slowly, and he smirked before pulling away and opening the truck door for her.

/

Austin turned down an abandoned, obscured road in the middle of nowhere. Ally looked out the truck window at the dark of the night to see not a tree in sight or forest line in sight, but only pasture after pasture. Furrowing her eyebrows, Ally turned to Austin.

They had been driving for at least thirty minutes now, and had been well out of the city limits for the past 15 minutes.

"Austin, where in the world are you taking me," Ally questioned, and Austin turned to her with a sickeningly, sweet smile. "Why sweetheart, this is where I take you into the middle of nowhere, and murder you. Burying the remains of your pretty little body into a church basement not too far from here," Austin eerily explained in a southern accent, and Ally might would have taken him seriously if it wasn't for the playful gleam in his gorgeously colored brown eyes.

Ally let out a single chuckle. "You have watched Jeepers Creepers one to many times. Next are you gonna tell me that there is a large van chasing us because you saw something you weren't supposed to at side church basement," Ally replied cleverly and Austin looked impressed with her horror movie skills.

"No gorgeous, I won't get chased if I am the help," Austin teased, and Ally blushed at the nickname. Finally, Austin pulled through a gate, and they rode out edge of what looked like a large pond.

Austin hopped out of the truck, and walked to the back of it, fiddling with the bed cover. Ally watched him pull the bed cover off, let down the tailgate, and climbed into the back of the truck. Eventually, Austin hopped down and walked over to Ally's door, opening it for her.

"Austin…" Ally trailed off in question, and Austin simply smiled his million dollar smile, and helped her into the back of the truck. That's were Ally spotted a thick, bulky blanket laid out across the bed of the truck. A small picnic basket sat in the corner, along with two folded up blankets.

Ally turned to look up at Austin, only being able to see his face because of the glowing moonlight. "What are we going all the way out here?"

"Well, I was hoping you were up for a late night picnic, and the reason I brought you all the way out here is…" Austin trailed off and sat down on the pallet. He motioned for her to join him, in which she did. He pulled her in between his legs, her back pressed against his front, wrapping his arms lightly around her waist as he leaned casually against the tool box.

Ally felt her heart beat quicken at the position, and she felt Austin lean down to whisper in her ear. "Look up." And she did.

Ally's mouth fell open in awe at the sight before her as she stared at the thousands and millions of stars above her. So many took over the sky that you couldn't find any space in between them, and suddenly Ally knew why Austin took her out here.

In no way could you see this in the city. It was beyond anything Ally had ever seen before. She couldn't get over how many stars she was currently gazing at. It was too beautiful to even be put into words.

Small stars to big stars, dim ones to bright ones. You could point out the big dipper, and the small dipper. The different constellations were above her, and her eyes roamed to every single star she could see.

"Do you like it," Austin quietly questioned in a whisper, and Ally shivered as his warm breath hit the shell of her ear. Turning to face him as best she could, she smiled in answer. "Austin, this is beyond beautiful. I can't even begin to describe it," Ally admitted as she stared at him.

Austin let a small smile of relief rest on his lips, and he let himself slowly lean forward to capture hers in between his. Ally sucked in a gasp of air in surprise before letting herself relax against him as he pulled her closer.

Deepening the kiss was her move, and Austin let himself let out a groan at the feeling of her pressed against him in every way possible. She twisted herself around to settle herself gently in his lap, her legs interlocked around his waist tightly. Her fingers made their way through his mop of messy, blonde hair as she tugged and gripped, leaving Austin to think that it was so much better than her fixing his hair.

Austin let his hands travel from her waist to her neck. He ran his hands through the ends of her tousled hair, and she raised herself up when he ran his hands down further. Soon the lack of air and realization caught up with them and they pulled away breathing heavily.

Austin rested his forehead against hers, and let them both catch their breath. Soon, Austin smiled and Ally opened her eyes to see Austin staring back at her. "What," Ally questioned, and Austin chuckled.

"Food?"

Ally laughed before nodding, he smiled before leaning down to peck her lips once more before moving to the basket.

/

"You made out," Trish all but yelled, and Ally shoots a hand out to cover her mouth. "Trish, could you be any louder? Seriously, I don't China to know my business," Ally exclaimed, and Trish nodded.

Ally took her hand off of the Latina's mouth and turned to place the books she was carrying in her locker. "So Als, how did your date go last night?"

Ally heard the voice of Leo as he leaned up against the lockers beside her. Yet, before she could answer the question directed towards her, Trish butted in. "They made out!"

Granted Trish didn't yell that time, Leo did. "You guys made out?!"

Everyone in the hallway turned quiet as they all started at the three cheerleaders, and Ally turned to glare at her two best friends. "Seriously," she sneered at the both of them and turned on her heel walking away.

It was currently the morning after her date with Austin, and though last night extremely amazing, she was quite tired and grouchy due to getting home at midnight last night, and not falling asleep until a quarter past one.

After Austin and she had eaten the food from the picnic, they laid out on the blankets, gazing up at the billions and billions of stars. Austin pointing out all sorts of things, such as constellations, stars, even a planet that could be seen from the naked eye.

She had had no idea that the current star quarterback was so clever when it came to astronomy, but she had found out that his father was an astronomer, so she couldn't give him all the credit.

Ally sat on a bench that was pressed against the wall on the hallways, and pulled out a notebook, studying for a test that she had in 15 minutes. Her focus on the notes, however, were interrupted by someone placing themselves next to her.

Looking up from her notebook, she expected to see Leo, Trish, or even Austin, but she did not expect to see the former star quarterback, the one who had her pinned against a locker no more than two days ago, sitting right beside her.

"Dallas," she questioned in confusion, feeling the urge to get up and run. She looked around quickly to see if anyone surrounded them, but with no luck, the halls were empty.

Noticing the look of panic on her face, Dallas quickly reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump at the contact. "Ally, please don't be scared. I'm actually here for a different reason," Dallas informed her, and Ally slowly nodded, still unsure.

"About the other day. I seriously don't know what came over me, and I can't give you an explanation as to why I did it either. But I want you to know that I truly am sorry," Dallas apologized, and Ally waited for the action of any honesty but found none.

He was being _sincere._

"Um, don't worry about it. No hard feelings," she answered, and she saw Dallas let out a relieved sigh. "Good, because I didn't want you to hate me. I normally never do that, I promise," Dallas advised, and Ally nodded once again, not really knowing what to say.

"Dallas, I couldn't hate you. And it's fine. Besides I think as cheerleaders and football players, we should be getting along very well," Ally enlightened, and Dallas chuckled while nodding.

Leaning himself back, Ally watched as he got more comfortable. "So, you and Moon huh," Dallas teased, and Ally was taken back on his question.

"I heard that you two had a date and that you two made out in the back of his truck," Dallas informed her, and Ally's eyes widened at his statement.

"Where in the hell did you hear that from," Ally questioned, and Dallas furrowed his eye brows.

"I just overheard someone in the hall talking about it. Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Dallas apprised, and Ally shook her head.

"No, sorry. My best friends were just yelling it a few minutes ago when I told them, everyone must have heard it. Yay me. But Austin and I did have a date, but we didn't just make out in his truck," Ally notified, and Dallas nodded with a laugh.

"I know, you aren't that type of girl Ally," Dallas let her know, and Ally smiled in relief. Dallas moved to get up and turned to look back down at Ally. "Well, I have to go. Good luck on Mrs. Browns test, and be careful Ally," Dallas spoke, but the last part caught Ally's attention.

"Dallas," she called, and he turned back with curious eyes. "What do you mean, be careful," Ally questioned, and Dallas understood.

"Oh, Ya know. Rumors and stuff, there will most likely be some, but don't let them get to you," Dallas tipped off.

And Ally nodded…


	3. Chapter 3

"Yo Moon."

Austin turned his sweaty, fatigued figure around to the sound of his name. He watched as Jacob and Shane stared at each other before turning to Austin with questioning eyes, and a smirk upon their faces. Raising an eyebrow, Austin mentioned for them to continue the reason for the calling of his name.

"How did your date with the sexy, head cheerleader turn out? Did ya get lucky," Shane wiggled his eyebrows, and Austin glared.

It had been nearly two days since Austin's date with Ally, and he still felt high from the happiness he endured during those seven hours with her. Seven hours was still too short in his opinion, and it was the longest date he had been on, not that he was complaining.

"Shut up you two. What _Ally_ and I did is none of your concern. Get your minds out of the gutter," Austin warned sternly, and Jacob's eyes widened with a laugh.

"Damn Moon, we were kidding," Jacob reasoned, and Shane nodded. "Yeah, besides Ally isn't that type."

"Ally Dawson isn't that type of what?"

The guys heard a feminine voice echo throughout the walls of the locker room, and everyone cut their eyes to spot Brooke Stevens at the door frame.

"What the hell Brooke," one of the guys in the room yelled as he quickly grabbed his pants. Many of the others followed, and some just stared while half naked, their egos too big to actually have modesty.

"What? You guys embarrassed," she questioned with a smirk as she noticeably looked each and every one of them up and down. This caused Austin to roll his eyes in irritation. Brooke Stevens was one of the biggest sluts in the entire school, giving herself to anyone she could get her eyes on.

"Oh, it isn't like they have anything to be embarrassed about."

Austin's thoughts were cut off by none other than the voice of Kira Star, Brooke's best friend and yet another one of the many girls to just drop their pants whenever given the opportunity.

"Seriously, what are you two doing in here? It is the _guy's locker room_ , I know that you two aren't all that smart, but seriously, it is common sense. Besides, I know you two have cheer practice, so get the hell out," Dez ranted, and many of the guys nodded in agreement.

This caused the two cheerleaders to roll their eyes, and look at one another. "Our so called _captain_ is busy trying to work on the routine, so she gave us a break. Who am I not to spend my break productively?" Kira spoke seductively, twirling her overly curled hair around her finger.

Soon enough, the voice of their captain called from outside the locker room, and Ally walked in, but upon seeing the sight before her, she gasped and adverted her eyes quickly away from the scene. Facing her team members, she glared. "What the hell are you two doing in the guy's locker room? Seriously," Ally barked out, her voice full of authority. Austin felt himself smile at the scene of Ally in the role as a captain, reason for it, he didn't know.

"Oh relax Ally, it isn't like we caused any harm," Kira argued, and Ally's widened as she stared at Kira like she had two heads. "It is the guy's locker room Kira, how would you feel if they just walked into ours," Ally questioned, but as soon as she saw the mouths of the two open she held up a hand. "Don't answer that."

"Just get back to the field." Austin watched as the two sneered at their captain before following orders and walking out. Ally gritted her teeth, and Austin knew she was refraining herself from saying what was actually on her mind, and if Austin knew Ally, it would be inappropriate and unfitting as the captain.

Ally turned to the group of boys who were watching silently, and Ally turned her gaze from the floor to their eyes, not letting her eyes roam. "I'm sorry about them guys. I don't know what they were thinking," Ally apologized, and the guys in the room chuckled.

"Come on Als, I think we all know what they were thinking," Dez commented and everyone nodded in agreement. Ally laughed going to leave but not before catching Austin's eye, yet this time she couldn't help but let her eyes roam down his toned, naked chest.

Austin caught her gaze, and she placed her head down blushing before connecting her brown eyes with his. He sent her a wink along with his signature smirk, and she smiled nervously before walking out red faced, and flustered.

It was quiet for a few seconds, and soon Jacob broke it.

"Is it just me Moon, or is it hot in here for other reasons?"

/

Plopping down on her neatly made the bed, Ally let out a loud huff in frustration.

"Girly, I don't know why you let them get to you. They are nothing but two petty ass cheerleaders who think they are better than everyone else," Trish's voice traveled throughout the speaker of the phone clutched tightly in Ally's hand.

Ally chuckled slightly before responding "then what are we, T?"

"The exact opposite. Gorgeous, nice to everyone, succeeds at everything. Even getting the star quarterback to have the hots for you," Trish whispered seductively, and Ally's loud laughter filled her silent bedroom.

"Okay, yeah sure. Whatever floats your boat," Ally laughed along with Trish until she settled down and turned serious. "But serious Als. The only reason they are a bitch to you is because they envy you. I know they do. You are a gorgeous, head cheerleader, smart straight A student that has the quarterback wrapped around your fing-."

Trish was cut off due to the interruption of Ally, "I don't have Austin wrapped around my finger Trish." Trish scoffed and Ally's eyebrows furrowed. "Ally, Austin would fall on his ass in a pit of mud dressed in nothing but a ballerina tutu in front of the entire school just make you happy," Trish exclaimed, and Ally giggled at the thought.

"But seriously Ally, don't let the bitches get to you, m'kay? Plus you are the captain, they have to respect you or be kicked off the team," Trish stated, and Ally smiled, nodding even though Trish couldn't see her.

"I know, I know. Anyways T, I have to go. See you tomorrow. Love you," Ally cooed, and Trish laughed. "Love you more, talk to you later."

After the two bided each other a good bye, Ally forced herself up to change out of her current practice wear, and into something more comfortable. While fumbling through her drawers, the sound of Ally's phone rang through the bedroom walls. Sighing, Ally grabbed her phone expecting it to be either Trish or Leo.

"Hello," Ally sighed as she started looking throughout her dresser.

"You sound like you need a little fun."

The familiar, masculine voice on the other end of the phone startled Ally causing her to drop the phone. Quickly bending down to pick it up, she looked at the caller ID to see "Aus" as the contact name.

"What," Ally question timidly, and Austin chuckled. "Do you want to go do something?" Austin questioned, and Ally shot a look over at the digital clock on her bedside table. "Austin, it is 11 P.M. What could we possibly do at this time?"

"Well come with me and I'll show you," Austin whispered huskily, and Ally smiled. "Oh shut up," Ally chuckled, and she heard Austin's loud laugh over the phone. "I can show you better than I can tell you, baby," Austin tried to sound serious, but the playful tone in his voice proved his saying wrong.

"Seriously Als, come do something with me. We will find something to do, plus you sounded like you had a bad day," Austin reasoned, and Ally sighed telling Austin that she was giving in.

"Come on gorgeous, I'm outside your drive."

Then he hung up to where Ally had no choice but to come outside and see for herself. Ally sighed shaking her head, a slight smile on her face as she walked down her stairs and passed her father that was sound asleep on the couch.

Looking at him, Ally let a sigh pass her lips, and she walked out of the front door quietly. Spotting Austin's truck at the end of her drive, she quickly walked down the drive and hopped in the front seat.

"Well hello there madam, so glad you could join me this fine evening," Austin greeted in a southern accent passing his lips. Ally cracked a smile and replied, "Sir, I do believe that it isn't evening. More like midnight."

"Oh shut up," Austin laughed and soon Ally joined. Austin pulled out of the drive and started driving down the obscure narrow road. "So, where are we going," Ally questioned, and Austin just shot her a look.

"I was thinking of a late night drive," Austin admitted, and Ally shot him a look of confusion, but before she could question his actions, Austin sped up and down the road.

/

"Austin, what in the hell are we doing," Ally questioned as they were yet again in the middle of nowhere. "Ally Dawson, would you quit questioning me," Austin joked, and Ally shot him a look. "Austin, you've brought me into the middle of nowhere. Again," Ally pointed out, and Austin laughed.

"Well look out the window smart one," Austin commented, and Ally creased her eyebrows in uncertainty before looking out the passenger window. "O my gosh."

In her line of sight, passing by her was the overlay of the massive Atlantic Ocean going off into the distance for miles upon miles before disappearing into the dark horizon. Lights that lined up down the sidewalk gave her a small glimpse of the beach, and the moon glistened into a perfect pathway across the waving water.

"Austin, where are we?"

"Driving along a highway of a private beach," Austin finally responded to her many asked questions, and Ally looked at him in shock. "How in the heck do you know where all the places are," Ally questioned astonished, and Austin chuckled.

"The guys and I have a problem with joy riding at night, so we find some pretty awesome places," Austin admitted and Ally chuckle, "are you sure we won't get arrested for trespassing or something?"

"Please, there is no cop within 100 miles from here both ways, and I've been on this beach a thousand times," Austin informed her, and Ally smiled looking out the open window. The fresh salty air filled her sense of smell. The lukewarm air formed a thin layer of sweat across her forehead. Her fallen brunette waves blew in the wind, across her face, and out the window. Ally felt a large grin take over her features as she turned to Austin.

"What are you thinking Dawson," Austin quizzed, and Ally chuckled and before Austin knew it, Ally through her upper body out the passenger window letting her butt rest in a sitting position.

"Ally," Austin shrieked, and he barely heard her laughter from her being outside the window and the wind roaring into the open windows are they roared down the highway. "Oh relax blondie, live a little," Ally screamed from the outside and Austin shook his head at her actions.

Where was the Ally he knew? He didn't know?

"Ally, get your ass back in the truck now," Austin ordered, and Ally bent down to stick her head into the truck to look him dead in the eyes.

"Technically my ass is on the truck, I think that is enough," Ally replied with a wit, and pushed herself out the window yet again. Austin chuckled quietly, and let it slide but slowed his speed down for her safety.

Austin heard her yelled in excitement from outside, "Austin, this is amazing. You have to try it." "I can't possibly try that if I'm driving gorgeous. Unless you want me to try to drive and steer with my tip toes," he countered, and he heard her laugh once again.

Pulling into a small sized parking lot, next to stairs that lead down to the beach. Stopping and parking carefully, Ally finally placed her body into the truck and hopped out. Walking around the truck, Austin spotted Ally, hair tousled with a wide grin of happiness upon her face.

Austin felt a surge of happiness and relief coursed through his body at the sight of her so happy. He knew she had had a hard day, and the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse by dragging her out at 11 o'clock on a school night keeping her from her sleep. He was thrilled his idea paid off and he made her happy.

"Come on crazy. Want to walk on the beach," Austin greeted, and Ally cocked an eyebrow with an amused look. "Crazy? What happened to gorgeous, and the cute pet names," Ally questioned as they started to make their way to the stairs.

"You lost those when you decided to climb out the window of a truck that was going 60 miles per hour, I don't think I like you that much anymore," Austin joked and Ally gasped pushing his shoulder making him stumble slightly.

"I'm joking," Austin commented as he threw his arm over her petite shoulders. Ally leaned into him and he smiled down at her before leaning down to whisper into her ear, "crazy."

Ally shot her head around to glare at him playfully and he laughed kissing the top of her head. Ally sighed and wrapped her loose arm around his stomach leaning against him completely. The closer they got to the water, the louder the crashing of the waves got and the chiller the air became as the wind blew off the surface of the water. At the edge of where the waves meet the dry sand, Austin stopped them and wrapped both his arms around Ally's waist.

The moon gave off enough light for Austin to study Ally's facial features as her brown eyes twinkled, and her wavy locks cascaded down her back. Her lips formed into a natural pout, but the sides of her mouth gave away the happiness she was currently feeling as they tilted upwards into a smile as she stared up at him.

"You are so gorgeous," Austin whispered as he moved a piece of hair from her face. She smiled, tilted her head, and giggled, "I thought I was crazy?"

0Austin threw his head back laughing, "Oh shut up and let me kiss you?"

Ally smiled and leaned up to close the gap between them, letting Austin lock her lips between his in a firm, gentle kiss. Everything around them disappeared as he deepened the kiss and Ally moved her hands up to the nape of his neck to grip his hair in-between her fingers. He groaned and gripped a little tighter at her hips, pulling her closer to him in every possible way.

As they pulled away, Austin placed his forehead against her, and Ally breathed deeply to catch her breath. "Gosh, you make _me_ crazy," Austin commented, and Ally giggled. "Same goes for you superstar."

/

"Young lady, what in the world have you been," Lester Dawson ordered in question as he watched his seventeen-year old daughter make her way through the front door quietly at 2 A.M. in the morning.

Ally jumped sky high at the sound of her father's voice and jerked around to see her father standing in front of the stairway, arms crossed over his chest, and a hardened glare upon his face directed towards her.

"Dad. What are you doing up," Ally tried not to sound panicked, but there was a defiant shake in her voice as she questioned her father in order to change the subject. Unfortunately, for her, he could see right through her act.

"Allyson, don't try and change the subject. I want to know where in the hell you've been. Coming through the front door at 2 o'clock in the morning on a school night. What the hell were you thinking," he yelled, and Ally shrunk back, the fear of being yelled at coursing through her body.

 _Shit Ally, think. Trish. Say you were with Trish._

"I was with Trish," Ally admitted in a lie. Lester raised an eyebrow, and for a second Ally though he saw straight through her lie. "Why were you with Trish, your car is in the driveway," Lester questioned and Ally mentally cursed.

"We went to get ice-cream. She came to pick me up. Her parents got into another argument and she was really upset so we did our annual midnight ice cream run," Ally spit out the lie faster than her mind could think, and she just prayed at it all added up.

"Your annual midnight ice cream run," Lester furrowed his eyebrows, and Ally perked up at the idea of his confusion. "Yeah, when we are upset or have a big thing coming up, like cheer composition or a ballgame, we run out to Ben & Jerry's to get ice-cream."

It wasn't necessarily a lie, they did do that, just not tonight.

Lester sighed and rubbed his temples. "I don't believe you, Allyson, I want you to call Trish right now."

 _Shit._

"M'kay," Pulling out her phone from her back pocket, Ally pressed Trish's contact and prayed she answered.

"Hello," Trish's sleepy voice came from the ear piece, and Ally let out a sigh of relief. "Hey T, I just got home from our ice-cream run, and dad doesn't believe I was with you or that you came a picked me up to do our annual ice cream run," Ally tried to not sound desperate for Trish to get her story, and luckily for her, Trish caught on.

"Oh, okay Als. Put me on speaker for Mr. Dawson," Trish commanded, a bit more awake. Ally nodded, despite the fact that she couldn't see her. Ally removed the phone from her ear and pressed speaker phone. "Okay T."

"Mr. Dawson?"

"Hello Trish, I understand that you and my daughter went out at midnight to go get ice-cream because you were upset about a fight that your parents got into," Lester question starring Ally dead in the eyes.

"Oh yes sir, my father, and mother got into an argument around 11, causing my father to walk out. I called Ally because our annual ice-cream runs usually cheer me up. I am so sorry, I should have asked, or we shouldn't have in the first place. I just didn't really know what to do. I am deeply sorry."

 _Thank you, Trish, for being such a good liar._

Lester cleared his throat, surprised at the answer from the teenaged girl. "Oh, ok. I'm sorry about your parents Trish, I hope everything works out," Lester finished, and Ally placed the phone back up to her ear. "Bye T, see you tomorrow. Love you," Ally bided her a goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Okay Ally, you are let off the hook. But just this once. You are lucky you were with Trish or I wouldn't have been so easy going. Now go to bed, you are going to regret this in the morning," Lester order, and Ally nodded before kissing her father on the cheek and bidding him goodnight.

Reaching her door, she opened the newly sent text message from Trish.

 _You've got some explaining to do in the morning girly ~ T_

And boy did she…

/

Ally pulled up to the school that morning, ready to be bombarded by Trish and Leo with questions about last night after seeing where Trish had filled Leo in about last night on their group chat.

Pulling herself out of the safety of her car, Ally turned to be greeted by Leo and Trish right behind her. Ally let out a slight scream and jumped backward in surprise.

"Bitch, you have some explaining to do," Trish accused, and Ally chuckled before nodding. As she grabbed what she needs from her car, she filled her best friends in on last night's joy ride.

"You two did what now," Leo questioned with raised eyebrows, and Ally laughed. "I've already said it."

"When are you two going to get together already? I swear if I have to watch one more session of Austin and Ally eye sex, I'm gonna gag," Trish complained, and Ally gasped. "Trish," she scolded, slapping her lightly on the shoulder.

"It's true," Leo agreed, and Ally sighed. "Right now, Austin and I are just Austin and I. We are doing whatever we want, and we aren't worrying about labels. Labels are when it gets screwy in high school," Ally admitted, and they nodded in agreement.

Right then, Ally felt something, well someone throws their arm around her shoulders. Startled, Ally quickly looks up only to spot Austin. She smiled and laughed, looking up at him in question. Then she noticed Dez, and Jacob walking right beside Austin.

"Hey guys," she waved in a greeting. "Hey Als," Dez and Shane replied. "What? I don't get a hello? I'm hurt gorgeous," Austin admitted with a mocked pout, and Ally giggled before leaning into him.

"Hello Moon," she smirked, and Austin raised his eyebrows with amusement. "M'kay Dawson," Austin gave her a smirk of his own, and Ally laughed before leaning into him. "So, what did you two do last night, huh Moon," Trish questioned accusingly, and Ally slapped her yet again. "Do that again Ally, and I'll never cover for you again," Trish spoke seriously and Ally rolled her eyes.

"Wait, what do you mean cover for you? What happened," Austin asked seriously, and Ally looked at Trish to tell him. "Ally was caught sneaking in at two in the morning, and called me to tell her father that we did our annual ice-cream run at midnight," Trish informed him, and Austin turned to Ally in concern.

"Ally, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you caught or in trouble," Austin apologized and Ally shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've stayed out way later on a school night, but my dad is never home. He is a workaholic. He just happened to be up and at home last night," Ally explained, and Austin nodded but didn't look convinced.

Ally leaned up to kiss his cheek, "seriously. Don't worry about it. Okay?"

Austin finally smiled down and her and nodded, she smiled and bided him a goodbye to her next class.

/

"There ya go, ladies and gentlemen. Another amazing score and Miami High takes home the victory," the announcer's voice fills everyone's ears as the cheering and screaming continue. Ally watched from the side lines as the football jumped to chest bump or handshakes.

The band picked up their instruments and the drum major gave them the cue to start the final song. "Okay, line up for the Fight Song," Ally commanded and watch as everyone fell in line for the final dance.

Soon it was over, the stands were clearing out, and everyone was heading home. Ally packed her gym bag from the side lines and walked with Trish to the fence that led out to the car park.

"Ally!"

Trish and Ally's conversation was cut short when Ally heard her name being called over the chatter of everyone around her. Ally turned to see Austin walking quickly to catch up to her, and Ally smiled at him.

"The guys and I were going to grab a bite, you girls wanna go," Austin offered and Ally smirked. "Umm, I can't. Book review, due Monday, haven't even started," Ally tried to play it off seriously. Austin smiled and cocked an eyebrow.

"Ally Dawson, putting something off till the last minute? I'm shocked," Austin joked, placing a hand on his chest. "If you didn't want to hang out with me, you should've just told me," Austin mocked, and Ally pretended to be thinking.

"M'kay. Austin, sorry, but I don't wanna hang out with you," Ally smiled innocently up at him, and he laughed. "No, but really, do you girls want too?"

Ally looked at Trish and she shrugged. "Sure, where are we meeting?"

Austin looked like a kid in a candy shop at her answer and told her they were meeting in the mall food court, and Ally nodded before walking to her car with Trish.

She was falling deeper and deeper…


	4. Chapter 4

The crowd cheered, and yelled in anticipation and excitement as they all watched the star quarterback of Miami High run down the field, growing closer and closer to a touchdown. He twisted and turned, not looking behind him as he held immense trust that his beloved teammates were watching and protecting him during the play.

His cleats dug into the drenched, saturated field as he focused on trying not to slip. Sweat and rain dampened his forehead and face as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, seeing just how close he was to the touchdown. "Come Aus, just a little further!" He heard someone from the sidelines yell out, more than likely a teammate, friend, or a class mate.

Switching his focus to the score board for a spilt second caused panic to run through Austin as he saw just how close it was to the ending of the current overtime they were in, and both teams were tied. If he didn't make this now, they would have to give the ball over, and he couldn't let that happen.

"Austin, watch out!"

Hearing the sound of Dez yell out in warning caused Austin to turn his head back to see a member of the opposing team catching up to him. Austin then jumped, tucking his head between his shoulders, he hit the ground and rolled coming up onto his feet right in the end zone.

The crowd roared loudly, and Austin took off his helmet to look up to see the remaining football team and cheerleaders running out onto the field. People screamed, yelled, and shouted in victory for their school, team, and win. The band played their school's fight song, and the two teams lined up to shake hands for good sportsmanship.

"Austin!"

Austin turned around to the sound of his name as he shook the last hand of the last player in line. He spotted Ally running at him in her cheer uniform, her pompoms thrown to the ground, and a large smile covering her face. He smiled, and caught her as she jumped, latching her legs around his torso.

"That was an incredible play! Like, how in the hell did you do that! There is no way that we aren't going to championships this year," Ally rambled in excitement, her smile never fading at she held a vast amount of pride for her school. "Ah! I'm so excited," she exclaimed, locking eyes with Austin and he stared back at her with adoration.

"You good now crazy," Austin questioned with a smile, and Ally stared at him a good minute or so before realizing their current situation. He's arms were around her waist casually as he elevated her highly with ease, her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, her hands around his neck as she leaned back in the hold just staring slightly down at him with an increasing smile.

"Um, yeah. I think I'm good," Ally acknowledged softly, shallowing calmly, and he smirked back up at her.

"Yo love birds! Ally, we gotta go if we wanna make it to the coast by midnight," Leo yelled at his captain as he watched the two for a few minutes before deciding to break them up. Ally hopped down from Austin's hold, and Austin looked down at her in question. "Coast?"

"Yeah. Trish, Leo, and I are going down to the coast for the weekend, my dad is out of town, as usual, Trish's parents are fighting, and Leo is fighting with his boyfriend. So we decided to take a weekend for ourselves," Ally explained as they walked over to the sidelines by Leo and Trish.

"Oh, well I hope you guys have fun. No joyriding for us this weekend, huh?" Austin joked as he nudged her, and Ally smiled up at him knowingly.

Trish and Leo looked at each other before nodding at the same time. "Hey, Austin would you like to go with us," Trish asked, and Ally shot her head up from her gym bag. "What?"

"Yeah, you are more than welcome to go with us. My parent's beach house has enough room for the four of us," Leo piped in, and Ally raised her eyebrows accusingly at them. Austin looked back and forth from Ally and her two friends.

"Well, I mean if Ally is okay with it, I would love to go," Austin claimed, and Ally looked at him in slight shock before composing herself. "Of course Aus, I don't mind at all," Ally smiled at him, and he nodded before he heard the couch call him over.

"We are leaving at 10, meet at Ally's," Leo informed, and he nodded before throwing Ally a wink and running off.

Ally watched his retreating figure with a smile, before scowling at her two friends. "What the hell was that," Ally glared, and the two laughed. "What Als? Don't pretend that you don't like the fact that "Mr. Football Hunk with some Junk in his Trunk" is coming to spend an entire weekend with us," Leo voiced, and Ally rolled her eyes.

"Guys, that's not it. I-I just…,"

"Ally, what could possibly go wrong. All it is is a couple of friends going down to the beach for a weekend, there is nothing wrong about it. It is all innocence," Trish claimed, and Ally looked around nervously.

"Not to everyone. People make assumptions Trish, what if people start to talk," Ally fretfully stated, and Leo placed a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"Als, when have you ever cared about what other people think," Leo questioned in concern, and Ally sighed. "No, don't worry about it. You are right. It is innocence, and this is our getaway weekend. No worries, no problems. Just us and the beach, away from this hell hole for two whole days."

"There's my girl. M'kay. I'll meet you two at Ally's at 10, see ya," Leo spoke, and they bided him a goodbye.

"I'm heading out too, see you in a bit."

As Trish left, Ally looked around at the student body, and fans leaving the stadium, and Ally caught a glance of Brooke and Kira standing over by the end of the bleachers watching her while talking quietly, every once in a while shooting a glance in her direction.

Ally stared quietly and soon turned her attention back to her gym bag. As she picked up her varsity jacket and zipped up her bag, she felt a body next to her and someone clear their throat. Expecting it to be Austin, Ally leaned up with a bright smile, but it was gone as soon as she made eye contact with the person in front of her.

"Hey Ally, what did you think of the game?"

Ally gulped at the sight of Dallas standing in front of her, still in his pads and jersey. Looking around, the only people she noticed that she knew was Brooke and Kira, and some girl from her AP English course.

Despite the fact that Dallas had apologized to her for his actions nearly three weeks ago, she still felt quite anxious. "Um, it was a great game. Very exciting, kept me on my feet," Ally addressed, and he smiled. "Good to know, are you coming to the after party at Shane's," Dallas questioned as he leaned up against the bleachers. The longer the two talked, more and more tension drifted away leaving them in a comfortable conversation.

"After the party," Ally asked curiously, and Dallas straightened up, looking at her in shock. "You've never been to one of our after parties after a football game," Dallas questioned astonished, and Ally shook her head sheepishly, looking down at her feet.

"It isn't a bad thing, just took me by surprise since you are the head cheerleader, and are super popular around high school," Dallas admitted, and Ally chuckled. "Are they fun," Ally questioned the football player, and he chuckled. "Yes, they are amazing. I mean, some people are idiots and get drunk off their asses, but if anything, it makes a good laugh and video," Dallas admitted, and Ally giggled at the thought.

"Wouldn't you guys be kicked off the team if the videos were leaked or the fact that you had consumed alcohol," Ally asked, simply because she knew the answer to the question. "Yeah, but people are smart and know not to do it. Unless you are on someone's bad side," Dallas explained, and Ally nodded in recognition.

"Well, as fun as it sounds. I can't tonight." Ally admitted.

"Well, I'm hosting the one next Friday night. You should join, and you can invite whoever you would like," Dallas invited, and Ally took in the information. "M'kay. I'd love to come, I'll more than likely invite Trish and Leo to if that's okay," Ally questioned, and Dallas smiled. "Of course," Dallas granted, and Ally smiled.

"Well, I have to head off," Ally stated, and Dallas nodded. "Okay, see ya Als."

As Dallas bided Ally a goodbye, Ally's foot got caught on the rolled water hose on the ground near the bleachers. Hearing a sound of the commotion, Dallas turned to see Ally sprawled out across the paved track, face first. Her gym bag open, spilling the contained items everywhere, her knees caught the worst of the fall, and her skirt rose up a slight inch.

"Oh, my gosh, Ally," Dallas exclaimed as he quickly walked over to the petite cheerleader who was trying to twist herself over carefully. Squatting down to her level, Dallas placed his hands on her waist carefully, helping her twist her body over to sit on her bottom. Trying to sit up, Ally looked around to see all her stuff and then fixed her gaze on Dallas, who stared back down at her in concern.

"Careful, did you hit your head," Dallas questioned softly as if he were talking to a child. "No, just scraped my knee," Ally pointed out, and Dallas looked down to see Ally's knee badly grazed, he could see the swelling starting to form around the freshly opened wound, and blood trickled down her leg. "Ouch, that's pretty bad. Stay still," Dallas demanded, and Ally sat completely still as she watched Dallas lean over to grab his gym bag. Soon, he pulled out alcohol, bandage, and medical tape. "This won't feel too good, but I have too. If this gets infected, you'll be in serious trouble, that was a hard fall," Dallas clarified, and Ally squeezed her eyes closed but nodded.

Gently grabbing her leg, Dallas sat on his butt on his hind legs and propped her leg on his knees. "1, 2, 3." Soon Dallas hit three and poured the alcohol on Ally's injured knee. Ally inhaled loudly and grabbed Dallas shoulder. "Ow, shit. Stop," Ally ordered and Dallas stopped, and started dabbing the scrape with a cotton ball. Soon, he placed the bandage on and secured it on with medical tape. "There, all done," Dallas enlightened, and Ally let out a breath.

"Well, this is what I get for being clumsy. That was embarrassing," Ally admitted under her breath, and Dallas chuckled. "Nah, I'm out on the field and get knocked on my ass in front of the entire student body and town. It happens to the best of us," Dallas joked, and Ally chuckled in agreement. Dallas stood up and helped Ally up. Placing her on her feet, Ally wobbled, and Dallas steadied her by grabbing her forearms.

Ally looked up and noticed the close proximity between them, and Ally shallowed fretfully. "Um, I think I got it now, you can let go," Ally answered nervously, looking down, and Dallas nodded. "Right," Dallas cleared his throat and the two stood in an awkward silence before Dallas decided to break it.

"Well, there you go. I would keep it clean, and put some ice on it. Scrape like that won't heal fully for a good two weeks," Dallas informed, and Ally tilted her head in amazement. "You are really good at this medical thing, huh," Ally asked, curious. Dallas blushed, and nodded. "Yeah, I want to major in sports medicine, and be the person who is on the sidelines for emergent injuries during football games, baseball games, cheer competitions, etc.," Dallas admitted, and Ally smiled.

"Well, you'll be good at it Dallas, don't give up on it," Ally encouraged, and Dallas sent her a grateful look. "Thanks, never been told that before," Dallas admitted, nonchalant. "Well, you'll hear it more often. Anyways, I have to go. See you Monday," Ally spoke, and Dallas laughed. "Okay clumsy, be careful on the way to your car," Dallas joked, and Ally rolled her eyes playfully.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

As the two walked to their destination, they were unaware of the envious eyes that glared at the both of them.

This situation just got a whole lot more complicated….

/

Ally threw the last of her things into the large duffel bag that sat on her bed and grabbed her laptop case before hearing the sound of a horn blare from outside. Jumping at the sudden uproar caused Ally to hit her injured knee, through her blue jeans, against the edge of her bed, the pain shooting up her thigh, and down her shin.

"Shit," Ally cursed, grabbing her knee. Though the fall wasn't major, the scrape on her knee had become badly scraped, and immensely sore. It was swelling, and the only thing that Ally wanted to do was sit on her couch, with an ice pack, and a bucket of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Looking over at the clock on her bedside, Ally watched as the numbers changed to 10, and she heard another horn blow from outside.

"Ugh," Ally groaned and threw her duffle bag over her shoulder, and grabbed her laptop case in her hands. Turning out the lights, Ally carefully made her way down the stairs, and out the front door, locking it behind her. Once outside, Ally noticed Trish and Leo sitting in Leo's truck, Trish leaning over to press the horn.

Trish blared the horn, making Ally jump as the loud sound rang through her ear drums as she stood in front of the truck. Ally glared, and limped to the back of the truck, and opened the door. In the truck was Leo, Trish, and Austin, who sat in the back, his head against the window, asleep.

"How long as he been asleep," Ally questioned as she carefully pulled herself into the high truck. "He's been asleep since we got him. Game probably wore him out, Lord knows he does more than us," Leo admitted, and Ally nodded in agreement.

"Ally, why were you limping? Did you get some," Trish turned to wiggle her eyebrows seductively as Ally, while Ally raised hers. "No, I tripped over the water hose, and scraped my knee pretty badly. It's swelling, we might need to stop for some ice," Ally spoke, and Leo turned to look at her as he turned to look to back out of her drive.

"If you look in my bag, there is some blue package like things that all you have to do it crack like a glow stick, and it will turn ice cold. You can put it on your knee, it is used for injuries," Leo explained and Ally looked over to see the gym back Austin's feet.

Basically leaning over his lap, Ally reached down to dig through Leo's duffel. Pulling back up, Austin propped up at the sudden movement. "Aus, go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you," Ally whispered softly as she moved his bangs gently out of his eyes.

All Austin did was grumble sleepily, and lean his head back against the window with his arms crossed.

/

Ally opened her eyes to the bright sun beams blinding her through the open French doors that led out to the balcony. Groaning, Ally rolled over and snuggled further into the blankets that wrapped around her securely. The sound of birds chirping, and waves hitting the shore filled the room as Ally smiled in contentment. Just then, Ally realized that she didn't remember how she had gotten into the current bed she laid in at the moment. Sitting up slowly, Ally noticed that she was in the master bedroom at Leo's parent's beach house.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Ally heard a noise and turned to see Trish walking out of the bathroom. She was dressed with her hair up in a towel and only foundation on her face. "Morning girly," Trish greeted as she dug through her makeup bag.

"Hey, what time did we get here, and how did I get here," Ally pointed to the bed beneath her, only to look down to noticed she was only in her oversized tee from the night before.

"And who took off my jeans," Ally exclaimed.

"Oh, ya know. Just Austin," Trish waved off the serious matter. Ally's eyes widened, and Trish chuckled. "Relax, you feel asleep in the truck, and when we arrived, Leo brought you up because you wouldn't wake up. After I woke up blondie to come inside, I came up to our room and told you to take of your jeans so you would be more comfortable," Trish explained, and Ally's breathing settled as she pushed herself off the bed with a nod.

Ally wasn't prepared for the pain in her knee when putting sudden pressure on it. "Ow, damn it," Ally yelled as she feel towards the floor on her butt. Trish stood emotionless for a second, staring at her.

"Damn Ally, how bad did you hurt yourself," Trish questioned as she bent down to help her up. Ally shrugged and looked down at her knee. "Geez, the swelling got worse," Ally grimaced, and Trish sat her on the edge of the bed, taking off her bandage.

"Oh my gosh Als, this isn't normal for just a scraped knee," Trish spoke, and Ally studied her knee with worry. The scrape looked the same, but cleaner, while her entire knee was swollen and bruised.

"It isn't supposed to hurt when you put pressure on it," Trish informed, and Ally sighed, standing up on her own. "It was just sudden, I'm fine. I landed on it pretty badly last night, but I think Dallas or I would have noticed if it was something other than just a scraped, swollen knee.

"Woah, wait. Back up. Dallas? What the hell does the prick have anything to do with this," Trish pointed out, and Ally shook her head. "No, it isn't like that. He was inviting us to his Halloween party next Friday night after the game, and we talked for a few minutes. When I went to leave, I tripped, and he was there to help clean up my knee and bandage it."

Trish looked Ally up and down a good two times, before nodding slowly. "Okay, whatever. But if it isn't better by Monday's practice, you are going to the doctor," Trish ordered, and Ally rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me," Trish cocked a hip, and placed her hand on it. Ally stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, making Trish chuckle.

"Hurry, the boys are waiting on us. We are going down to the boardwalk, the shops downtown, and then the beach," Trish explained, and Ally nodded.

"Now hurry, go get your ass ready," Trish swatted Ally with her tee, and Ally laughed.

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

/

The wind whipped across the board walk as the sun rays beamed down. Chatter was heard from locals Ally and her friends strolled down one of the largest boardwalk in Maimi. Booths lined up and down the middle, rides ran and ran for happy passengers, and the smell of food mixed with salt water wasn't the most pleasant.

"So, what do you guys wanna do," Leo questioned his three friends. "Well, we've been here all day. Ally and I would like to go do some downtown shopping. What do you guys wanna do," Trish explained. "Well, I wanna hit some rides that we've yet to catch, and then head to the beach. Austin," Leo asked the blonde.

"I'm with Leo," Austin agreed. "Well, how about Trish and I head downtown, and you guys finish up here, and we will meet you two up at the beach at about 7. It is too chilly to swim at this time of the year," Ally announced and the boys nodded.

"Okay, see ya down there," Leo bided a goodbye, and they went their separate ways.

/

"Has Austin seemed a little off to you today," Ally questioned as Trish and herself walked down the bricked sidewalks of downtown. "No, why," Trish responded, and Ally shrugged. "Don't know, just seems a little off," Ally informed. "There's the beach," Ally nodded towards the semi-crowded beach. "Here I'll go put the bags in the beach house," Trish offered and Ally nodded in thanks.

"I'll meet you down at the beach," Trish spoke and walked off in the direction of the beach house. Ally walked down the stair way to reach the sand. Upon reaching the bottom, Ally's heart stopped at the sight before her.

"You're a real cutie. You know that?"

Was all Ally heard as she watched a beautiful blonde run her hand up and down Austin's chest. "Why thank you," Austin winked, and flipped his hair. Spotting Ally from the corner of his eye, Austin turned to face her.

"Oh, hey Als. How was shopping?"

Ally's eyes widened at the smug tone of his voice and the smirk placed upon his face. "Austin," Ally questioned in surprise, and Austin chuckled.

"Yep gorgeous, that's my name," Austin sarcastically stated. "What-what the hell," Ally exclaimed, pointing to the blonde who was shooting glances between the two.

"Are you his girlfriend," She finally questioned nervously. Out of anger, jealousy, and panic, Ally responded with a quick nod and glare.

By the time Ally nodded her head, she was gone. "Oh, so you are my girlfriend now?" Austin bitterly asked as he leaned up against a brick wall. "What? Ye-I mean no. Austin? I don't know what we have going on here, but I would just flirt with another guy," Ally admitted truthfully, and Austin raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, really now? Because you looked pretty fucking cozy with Dallas last night," Austin accused. "What?! What are you even talking about," Ally yelled. At this point, people were starting to stare at the two arguing teenagers.

"I watched you and Dallas Friday night, by the bleachers. Your legs were thrown over his, just sitting there laughing, talking. Him pulling you up, you two staring into each other eyes like fucking Romeo and Juliet. Do you not remember how the damn prick had you three weeks ago," Austin shouted.

Realization hit Ally, and she shook her head, but anger coursed through her. "But it doesn't even matter. You can be with whoever you would like. It's not like we were ever together or anything important," Austin spat, and Ally stopped.

Everything began to spin, and her head clouded with worry while all she could feel was blinding, hot anger course throughout her body. "In case you missed me falling on my face, or the fucking bandage placed upon my knee, Dallas was simply helping me by cleaning and bandaging a serve cut on my knee. Plus, he apologized a week ago for his actions. I'm sorry if I was speaking to a friend and he was helping me out," Ally yelled, tears of frustration and worry streamed don't her face.

"But you know? You're right Austin, we were never anything important. We can just go screw whoever we would like, and I'll make sure Dallas Fucking Harris is the first on my list," Ally sneered, and spun on her heel, quickly making her way up the stairs and down the street.

Ally tried wiping the free falling tears that made their way down her face but was completely useless as the continued to make their way down her face. By the time she made her way to the front door of their house, the sun had gone down completely. Pushing the door open, Ally made her way inside. Making her way to the stairs, Ally went to bound up the stairs quickly but made the mistake of putting pressure on her bad knee, making her trip.

As she fell forward, Ally felt her knee make a forceful contact with the edge of the bottom stair. She felt immense pain shoot up, down, around her leg and knee. She let out a yelp, close to a sob, as she rolled over to grip her knee close to her body.

"Trish, I thought you…Ally?"

As Leo walked around the corner, he spotted his friend on the floor, sobbing and writhing in pain. "Ally! What? What's wrong," Leo panicked as he bent himself down to reach her level. "My…my," Ally sobbed, trying to get her words out, but choked on lack of air. She pointed to her knee that was already swelling even worse than before.

"Okay, okay," Leo soothed as he quickly, yet gently, slipped his arms underneath her picking her up. "We are going to the hospital, okay," Leo spoke and Ally just relaxed in his arms as best she could, letting him handle the situation.

/

"What happened?"

Trish made her way into the hospital room, worry sitting heavy on her stomach. Leo turned to look at her, and quickly shushed her, pointing to the sleeping brunette seated on his lap.

"What happened," Trish asked, but only quieter as she sat in a chair beside them. "I don't know, I heard someone come in, something make a large noise, and I thought it was you. I found her on the floor crying and in pain," Leo admitted, and Trish nodded.

"But I think that there is also something else. She was crying silently all the way here, and when we arrived, they gave her some pain medicine until they could get to her. I basically rocked her to sleep, and she was able to stop crying when she fell asleep," Leo explained, and Trish's eye widened.

"That's not Ally. She never cries, even then she broke her arm freshmen year," Trish commented, and Leo nodded.

"Yeah, I know. It's strange. I've never seen her like this. I'm worried," he gently expressed as he ran a hand through her hair.

"She'll be okay. She is Ally," Trish stated determinedly. Just then, Ally started to stir. "Hey sweetie, how ya feeling," Leo asked, and Trish rested a hand on her leg. "Hey girly," Trish moved some stands out of her face.

"Hey, when did you get here," Ally's voice was croaky from hours of crying. "Just a minute ago, Leo called me at the beach house. I was trying to get ahold of blondie," Trish explained, and at the mention of Austin, Ally's demeanor changed. Tears pricked her eyes, and she tucked her face into Leo's neck.

Trish and Leo shot each other a worried glance.

"Sweets? What's the matter," Leo ran his fingers in soothing circles on her back, trying to coax an answer from her. They heard a quiet sniffle, and Ally raised her head. "Austin and I got into a huge argument at the beach. He saw Dallas helping me when I hurt my knee, and apparently, he thought the worst," Ally started to explain quietly.

"I walked down the stairs to see him flirting with another girl, and he then started to accuse me of being with Dallas," Ally whispered, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Both friends stared at her in shock before Leo broke it.

"I'm gonna kill the bastard," Leo gritted, and Ally straightens in surprise. "No Leo, don't do or say anything," Ally commanded.

"Why Ally? The damn prick was an ass to you, why would I not say anything," Leo exclaimed in surprise. "Just…don't please," Ally whispered.

Leo exhaled slowly through gritted teeth. "Fine, I won't say anything. But only for you," Leo admitted, and Ally smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Ally Dawson?"

"That's me."

/

"You have broken your knee cap, you are gonna have to be in a knee brace and on crutches. Plus, no cheering until your regular doctor releases you for activity," the doctor directed Ally's knee situation, and all she could do was stare at him in shock.

"What? How? Why?"

"Well Miss Dawson, when you tripped and fell the first time, you only cracked your knee cap. But once you fell a second time, you completely broke it. You are lucky you didn't shatter it, or you would have to have had surgery. But yes, you'll probably be in a knee brace for six weeks, and on crutches for a week or two depending, physical therapy, and no cheering," the doctor ordered, and Ally's face fell.

"This is totally what I needed to hear right now," Ally whispered, her voice cracking.

Trish and Leo gripped her hands in support.

"We aren't going anywhere, Als."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, are cheer leaders doing the thriller dress up day tomorrow," Leo questioned as he laid in Ally's bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah, and what are we doing for Dallas's party," Trish responded from the white, armless sofa. Every Friday they had game days, they dressed according to the theme.

Ally sighed in distress as she stopped typing an English essay at her desk, and leaned back against her chair. "I really don't know, I was thinking we could dress up or just wear our cheer uniforms. Either or. We could do trashed tees with blood or something for the pep rally. Simple and quick. Plus, it goes with our Thriller dance at the pep rally. We can take white tees and rip it, adding blood and stuff," Ally explained, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Als, are you okay," Trish leaned up in concern at the lack of happiness and energy in her best friend's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be," Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "Because you haven't really talked about your knee, or…Austin," Trish was hesitant on saying the troubles Ally had faced.

"And it has been a week," Leo piped in. Ally shrugged and looked back to her laptop. "What's there to talk about," Ally questioned, and she turned to see her friends staring at her as if she had to heads.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. Austin made his choice to believe what he thought he saw, and my knee will get better. Everything will get better," Ally spoke, ignoring the situation at hand.

"Ally…"

"Just drop it, if I don't want to talk about it, we won't," Ally snapped, causing silence to overtake the room. Ally sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "It's getting late, maybe you guys should head home," Ally announced, and she heard the shifting of them gathering their things. "Bye Als," Leo bided, and they both walked out.

"Ugh!"

/

Ally pulled into the school parking lot. As she parked, Ally pulled herself out of the car carefully, and opened her back car doors while trying to put little to no weight on her left knee. She reached in to grip the large, card boarded box full of tee shirts, and supplies and placed it on the roof top of her car. Grabbing her crutches, she placed them under her arms, before realization hit her.

"Now, how is this work," she whispered to herself as she stared at the box on the top of her car, and then looked to her crutches.

"Need some help?"

Ally shot her head around to spot Dallas standing behind her.

"Dallas?"

All Ally could do was stare at the person in front of her, the one who was the cause of the ending of her and Austin. No, she couldn't blame him, he did nothing wrong.

"Yeah Als," he chuckled, "that's my name."

Ally laughed nervously, and looked around the parking lot. "What happened, I've been meaning to ask. Haven't really seen you, or gotten the chance to ask," Dallas pointed to her braced knee, and the crutches.

 _I wonder why?_

Ally thought to herself before answering his question.

"Um, Saturday night I tripped on the stair way at Leo's beach house, broke my knee cap," Ally retold the same story she had been repeating to everyone. Dallas grimaced, and nodded slowly. "Is that have anything to do with your fall Friday," he asked, and Ally nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that night I cracked it. Broke it Saturday."

"Oh okay. Well, let me help you with this…"

"No, Dallas. It's fine, real…" Ally was cut off by Dallas grabbing the box off the top of the car. "Ally, I'm doing it. Who else will, and how are you gonna carry? You could hurt yourself even more," Dallas ordered, and Ally gave up by nodding.

"Good, now. Where do I need to take this?"

"Gym."

Ally crutched beside Dallas as he carried the box up towards the school. As they reached the gym doors, Dallas balanced the box with one hand, and opened the door for Ally.

"Thanks," Ally spoke gratefully as he sat the box down on the extended bleachers. "No problem, anything you need, let me know," Dallas spoke, and then cheerleaders started to fill the gym. "Well, I'd better go," Dallas departed, and Ally smiled and nodded.

"Okay, see ya," Ally bided a farewell, and turned to see the cheer squad coming the gym.

Turned to the box, Ally started to pull the content that it held. "Okay guys, so for today's dress up day, we are dressing as zombies. Coach Sarah texted and said we had to dress together," Ally explained.

"Zombies. Really? That's the best you could come up with Ally," Brooke gave her opinion with a roll of the eyes, and the only one who nodded in agreement was Kira. Ally's stare locked on her and hardened. "Look Brooke, I really don't care what you want or think. You are on this cheer squad, and I am the captain. What I say, goes. It was the easy and quickest thing we could come up with something on such short notice, especially since I got the text last night. If you don't like it, then there is the door," Ally spat, her glare never softening.

Everyone went quiet, tension so thick between the two that even the sharpest knife would have trouble cutting through it.

"Fine," Brooke huffed, twirling a piece of hair around her perfectly manicured nails.

"Okay, everyone I need you to grab a white tee from the box, and the blood and scissors. Rip it, mess it up, but keep it modest. Do your make up how you would like. It's a dress up day, have fun with it," Ally ordered, and moved out of the way for them to get to the supplies.

Leo and Trish came up to Ally, and the three stared at each other for a good minute or so. Ally sighed and dropped her head to look to the floor. "Guys, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to snap at you," Ally apologized, looking up at them the in hope they wouldn't be angry at her.

"Als, don't worry about it. We shouldn't have pushed," Leo admitted. Ally sighed and shook her head, "I don't know what is wrong with me. I'm snapping at everyone, I can't get my school work done, and I cannot make up the choreography for the end of the routine to save my life," Ally complained, and sat on the bleachers, laying her crutches on the gym floor.

"It's been a hard week for you. Don't put so much stress on yourself Al," Trish sat down beside her, rubbing her back. "Yeah, let's just make it through today, and go partying tonight. No worries, no boys, no cheerleading, no broken knee," Leo declared, sitting opposite of Trish.

"You're right. Let's just hope this weekend goes a lot better than last."

/

"Down, set, hut."

Austin heard his voice travel down the field as his teammate hiked the ball to him. Gripping the ball in his hands, Austin passed it to Shane, the running back. As Shane traveled down the field, Austin made it up the middle and readied himself for Shane's pass.

Watching the ball closely, Austin went to catch it high in the air, only for it to slip right through his fingertips.

"Damn it."

Austin cursed, staring down at the ball on the ground in frustration. The whistle blew, and the play ended.

"Moon that is the third time today. Straighten up if you want to start tonight's game," coach ordered from the sidelines. "Everyone take a break. Be back in 15 minutes."

As everyone exited off the field, Dez made his way to Austin "Dude, what is up with you. You've been off your game all week." Dez took a spot next to him on the bench.

Austin groaned, removing his shoulder pads and shirt. "It's Ally. We got into this huge fight at the beach Saturday. I was so mad I didn't even realize what I was saying before it was too late," Austin admitted. "Have you tried to talk to her," Dez asked.

"I've tried to get her attention in the halls, but she just glares and turns the other way," Austin mumbled. "What did you two fight about?"

Austin took a deep breath in order to calm himself. "Friday night, Ally hurt her knee by falling, and Dallas helped her. But I didn't see that, just saw her sitting on the ground, her legs thrown over his, him pulling her up and staring into each other for what seemed like forever," Austin explained.

"But what really happened," Dez quizzed, and before Austin could answer, someone interrupted.

"Ally fell and hurt her knee, I simply helped her with her knee, and then helped her up. Damn Moon, you really have no trust in her do you," Dallas accused, and Austin's glare hardened on Dallas as he walked closer to the two.

Austin stood up quickly, reaching nose to nose with Dallas. "You wanna repeat that Harris," Austin dared, and Dallas smirked. "It's true, isn't. You don't trust her, you have no trust in her. That's sad Mo-"

Dallas barely finished his sentence before he felt a painful, physical contact meet with his cheek. Stumbling backwards, Dallas didn't even mange to catch his footing before Austin pounced once again, catching him off guard.

"Austin, get off!"

Austin saw red, and felt anger course through his body as he landed hit after hit on the young, football in front of him. He didn't know what compelled him to continue to punch someone as they laid defenseless underneath someone, but he couldn't stop. He was too far gone.

Soon he felt someone grip him around the shoulders and pull him off Dallas. He spotted Dez behind him, holding him with a strict grip, and he looked across from him to see Shane holding back Dallas.

It took him a minute before he realized the damage he had done to Dallas; a bloody nose, the starting of a black eye, busted lip, and a large bruise started to form where Austin laid his first punch. Austin then began to fell a sting in his lip. He raised his hand to meet with his bottom lip to feel a warm, liquid. Pulling his hand away, he looked down to spot blood on the tips of his fingers.

"What in the hell is going on here!"

Everyone spotted the coach as he made his way down from the field house, along with the defense coach. "Harris, Moon. What is going on here," Coach Brown yelled at his two best players as he stared at their busted lips, and bruised knuckles.

"I'm waiting damn it!"

Both the boys jumped as their coaches yell cut through loud and clear. "Moon couldn't handle the truth, and he got mad about it. He can't take the fact that his precious little girlfriend might be into me," Dallas smirked, and Austin jerked in Dez's arms.

"Shut the fuck up Harris," Austin let the murderous remark fall from his lips in a loud shout.

"Boys, stop! Get your damn acts together. You are both benched from tonight's game! Get your asses to the locker room, now!"

And everyone started to make their way to the field house. The tension so thick you couldn't even attempt to cut it with a knife.

/

"And your final score for tonight's game is Sea Sharks 35 and Manatees 14! Have a good night folks!"

The announcement rang through the stadium, loud and clear for all those to hear. Ally watched from the side lines as both teams made their way to shake hands in good sportsmanship.

"Well tonight's game was a bust, were in the hell was Austin, I didn't see him out there," Trish mentioned as she leaned down beside Ally, placing her belongings into her gym bag. "Didn't you hear, he was benched from the game," Leo informed, walking up to the two cheerleaders.

Ally's eyes widened, "what do you mean he was benched from the game, why?"

Leo shrugged, "have no clue. I just saw him on the side lines the entire night, in his sweats. I asked other team members about it, and they only told me he was benched."

Ally continued to let her thoughts wonder as she began picking up items of the cheer squad. Staring off into space, Ally failed to notice when Dallas walked up behind her.

"Hey Ally."

Jumping at the unexpected greeting, Ally groaned when hitting her injured knee on the metal frame that held up the bleachers.

"Geez Ally, be careful there," the owner of the voice chuckled, and Ally turned around to spot Dallas. "Oh, hey Dallas."

"Hey, you alright there," he questioned as she gripped her knee as best as she could with crutches placed underneath her arms.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. You just scared me, that's all," she admitted, and Dallas chuckled. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Are you still coming to the party tonight after this," he questioned, and Ally nodded. "Yeah, I am. But hey, can I ask you a question."

"Of course, what is it?"

"How come Austin was benched from tonight's game," Ally asked, and Dallas felt anger course through him at the fact that she didn't notice or question why he was sidelined as well. But he calmed himself enough to answer her question.

"He and I got into a little disagreement gone badly, we were both benched from tonight's game by coach," he informed her, and her eyebrow shot up in curiosity. "What do you mean 'little disagreement'," she pried.

"He was asking about last Friday night, and he didn't believe me when I said that nothing happened, and he punched me."

Ally covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her, and only then did she get a close enough look in the dim filed lightening to notice Dallas's busted lip, and subtle black eye. "O my gosh, Dallas. I'm sorry for you to be caught in the middle of all of this," Ally apologized, and Dallas shrugged, sending her a smile.

"Ally, really don't worry about it. Austin should trust your word, and should have listened to you. You are a great girl, and he just doesn't realized what he has lost," Dallas complimented, and Ally looked down at the ground below her, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

"Thank you Dallas, that was sweet. I should be going now if I want to make it to your party on time," she bided, and he smiled. "Alright gorgeous, see you there."

Ally's heart stopped when hearing the nickname. Austin was the only one who had ever called her that, and she wasn't sure if she liked it coming from anyone else.

/

Music from speakers blared loudly from inside the house as Ally climbed out of the passenger side of Trish's car. People were scattered across the insanely large house; from inside, outside, and hell, there was even people in the streets.

"This party looks like the shit," Leo exclaimed, and Trish nodded. All the while Ally was silent, taking in her surroundings. She didn't have a good feeling about it.

"Reading to go in Als," Trish questioned, and Ally nodded.

"Yeah, and remember guys. Not a lot of drinking, and if you do drink, watch what you do. One wrong move on how we present ourselves, if we are exposed on social media, or if it gets back to Coach Sarah, we are off the team."

"We will Als,"

And with that, they made their move to head into the over flowing house of insanely drunk teenagers.


	6. Chapter 6

" _Ally, this is inexcusable, unacceptable!"_

" _Coach Sarah, she was drugged and assaulted! It wasn't her fault!"_

 _Hearing a room full of gasps, Ally turned to find the entire cheer squad standing at the entrance of the gym._

" _Oh, would you look at that, Miss 'Captain Perfect' is a slut."_

/

 _ **32 hours earlier…**_

"This party is insane!"

Ally could barely hear Trish yelling over the incredibly loud music blasting through the home. Drunk, horny teenagers surrounded her at every corner, and she craved air that that didn't smell of alcohol and sweat. The intense music and yelling teens were giving her an immense headache.

"I'm not sure that's the correct word," Ally mumbled, making a face as someone bumped into her. "What!"

Ally stared at Trish as she held confusion on her face, not understanding or hearing what Ally had said. Ally waved her hand, dismissing the matter. Trish shrugged and took another gulp from her red solo cup. Ally glared in disgust at the cup that she knew held alcohol that her best friend was consuming and letting it consume her.

Ally groaned as someone once again bumped into her, and she bit her tongue to hold in a comment that was itchy to be thrown.

"Trish!" Ally yelled over the insane noises around her. Ally waited for her best friend to acknowledge her, but she was met with nothing but Trish's back that was attached to her dancing body.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ally groaned beneath her breath and completely turned the opposite direction. She fought her way through the crowd to the entrance to get some fresh air, but something stepped in front of her. More like someone.

"Ally! Hi, how are you enjoying the party," Dallas conversed as he blocked her view from the only thing that led her to freedom. Ally forced a smile and looked up at him.

"It's great, I was just stepping out to get some fresh air," she politely answered his question and moved to go around his body figure. Yet, he took a step his right, blocking her once again.

"Have you had a drink," Dallas questioned once again, holding out a red solo cup in his hand for her to take. She shook her head, quietly declining the offer. "No thank you, I don't drink," she informed him, and he chuckled.

"Come on Ally, it isn't really gonna harm you in any way. It's just one drink," he pushed, and she mentally rolled her eyes, taking the drink from his hand. She sipped the alcoholic beverage, cringing at the bitter taste of beer. She smiled at him, hoping now that he would leave her alone…

/

Ally giggled once again at something Dallas said as she sat on the couch next to him, watching the activity around her. She wasn't sure as to what she found so funny, but her body felt at ease.

"Okay Dawson, I think you have actually had too much to drink," Dallas commented, reaching to retrieve the cup in her hand. She tilted her head in confusion and curiosity, she had only had one, hadn't she?

"What are you even talking about Dallas, I've only had o-one. Hey, why do you have four eyes," she questioned, amazed at her many eyes that were showing up on Dallas's face. He chuckled at her actions and stood up, reaching down to pick her up.

"Oooh, where are we going? A joy ride," she fired off question after question as Dallas carried her wary body up to the second floor. They stopped at a door of a room, and Dallas led them into it. He sat her down on her feet, and while Ally gripped his shoulders to gain her stability, he pushed her back into the door.

She went to gasp in shock but wasn't able to as Dallas's lips covered hers. Her eyes widened and panic coursed its way through her body, making her chest tighten. Ally placed her dainty hands on his chest, trying to push him off of her, but was unsuccessful in her current state.

His hands roamed, his kisses were harsh and forceful, and he pushed her back into the door frame so hard that she felt pain make its way through her shoulder blades. She squirmed against him and the doorway, grunting in protest to his actions.

He pulled away and gripped her hair, forcefully pushing her head back to hit the door hard enough to disorient her vision and focus.

"Shut the fuck up Dawson, I've wanted this for some time now. Nothing's stopping me," he claimed, pushing against her again and forcing his lips back on hers. Tears filled her eyes as he gripped her roughly on her hips, hard enough to leave bruises through her layers of clothing.

He gripped the hem of her cheer uniform, ripping it to expose her stomach and he took the advantage of letting his hands travel up further. More tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled against him, thinking of any way to escape. Ally let her eyes wander around the room, hoping to spot something for a defense.

Noticing a desk almost within arm's reach, she closed her eyes tightly and raised her injured knee to aim for Dallas's reproductive organs. She let out a yelp, along with him as she felt pain shoot up her leg from her kneecap. He fell to his knees, a groan escaping his mouth.

Being quick with her actions, Ally reached over to grab a lap that sat on top of the desk. Wrapping her hand around it, she wasted no time bashing the object over Dallas's head. The sounds of glass shattering and his heavy form hitting the floor filled the bedroom.

Ally stared only for a second at Dallas's unconscious body until quickly snapping out of her trance. She hastily made her way to the door, opening it to be met once again with the loud, obnoxious music that she hadn't heard prior to entering the room. The room must have been soundproof.

Looking frantically down the hall, she saw numerous of doors. Opening each one, she threw herself into the first empty bathroom she found.

Sliding down the door, Ally reached into her back pocket to pull out her phone. Dialing a number she knew by heart, she prayed that he would pick up.

"Hello," his voice cut through, and immediately at the sound of it, Ally broke. A sob escaped her lips, and he heard the panic in his voice as he called out for her, "Ally!"

"What's wrong, what's the matter?"

Ally tried to focus, wanting her words to come out clearly. "Can-can you c-come get m-me," she hiccupped.

"Of course gorgeous, calm down. Tell me where you are," he soothed. "Dal-Dallas's party, upstairs in one of-of the ba-bathrooms," Ally explained, and she heard him curse.

"Okay gorgeous. I'm on my way," he informed her, and before he could hang up, Ally heard the squealing of tires in the background.

/

Austin spun his tires, trying to retreat from his driveway. His mind raced with several possibilities of what could have happened with Ally. And it wasn't long before Austin pulled into Dallas's driveway. He was impressed with the fact that he turned a twenty-minute drive into a ten-minute drive. As he looked for a place to park, he cursed when noticing that there was no way of parking closer to the house due to the variety of cars parked around his house and down the road.

Literally parking in the middle of the road, Austin got out of the truck and sprinted up the road towards the house. Austin was greeted with over blaring music, and an intense aroma of alcohol. Teens were crowded in a large living area as Austin pushed his way to the staircase.

Taking two at a time, Austin threw open every door on the second floor until reaching the one with Ally. The instant he saw her, he froze. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and glazed over. Tears stained her beautifully, rosy cheeks. Her once tightly, heightened ponytail hung low on her head, and her cheer uniform was ripped.

"God, please no," his voice cracked at the thought upon seeing her. Her lips wobbled, and her hers got teary. Austin quickly kneeled down before her. "It's okay gorgeous, I got you. Calm down, you can explain later. Let's get you out of here," he soothed, bringing her into his chest.

Wrapping her legs around his torso, and her arms around his neck, he cradled her as he would a toddler. He swiftly picked her up and made their way down the hall and out of the house.

/

Ally woke with a start, pushing herself up from the sunlight drenched covers that provided relaxation and a safe keeping. Her aching muscles strained with pressure as she painfully held herself upright with her arms, darting her eyes frantically around the room that held no recognition.

As she glanced around at her foreign surroundings, she noticed the luxury, and the homey feel to the room she rested in. The lectures and questions that she awaited from her dad never came as she listened closely, getting nothing but the gentle wind of fall making its way through the open balcony doors.

Balcony doors?

"When did I get balcony doors?" Ally questioned lightly to herself.

Seeing as how she had just awoken, Ally was too exhausted to overthink her current situation. Brushing off the prior, she let her thoughts fade and pushed herself off the bed. She soon found that thatGod-awfuld awful idea when a queasiness filled her stomach, and a pounding erupted in her head. She quickly grabbed the tin garbage can that rested at the side of the bed and threw up the contents of her stomach.

Ally whined, tears filling her eyes as the burning arose in her throat and the revolting taste nauseating her even more. She went to carefully stand, but her legs suddenly felt like jelly. The queasiness returned, and she leaned over the tin once again.

Tears made their way down her face as she kept heaving into the tin, yet there wasn't anything left in her stomach.

"Hey, hey."

Ally heard a familiar voice make them known, but she was too preoccupied with retreating into the garbage. She felt a comforting hand rubbing her back, and her hair being held.

"You're okay," they soothed, and only then did Ally realize that it was Austin, but could really care less.

After she finished, Ally gasped for air, leaning against Austin for support even though she was on the ground.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you feeling," he gently questioned, careful of her headache, while moving a piece of hair out of her face.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus, everything hurts," she whined, hating that she was currently complaining about everything, but it was true.

"I know sweetheart, I know." It didn't matter what they were classified as, pet names were always gonna be a thing with her, although neither one of them minded.

"Here, take this and lie back down," he placed two, over the counter pain relievers in her hand, and carefully helped her off the floor and back into the bed.

Handing her a glass of water, he watched her take them, and she lied down.

He placed the glass on his night stand and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. "Gorgeous, do you remember what happened last night," he questioned, running his fingers lightly through her hair as she stared up at him. He was sure her mind was spinning along with her memory and thoughts.

She squinted her eyes in thought, trying to remember the events from last night, but nothing occurred to her.

"No," she whispered.

He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Do you remember anything," he questioned once again.

She bit her lip in thought, and while Austin desperately wanted to be the one biting that lip, he controlled himself.

"Um, I remember the ball game, arriving at Dallas's party, growing bored and started to walk out to get fresh air before Dallas stopped me. He was so persistent on getting me to drink, eventually, I took it to shut him up, but after that. I don't remember anything else, I could have sworn I only had one drink," Ally explained what she could remember, but raised her eyebrows in worry.

"Austin, what really happened?"

He looked regretful to explain what he knew.

"I'm not really sure what happened, but you called me around midnight, crying, unable to explain. All I could get out was that you were asking me to come get you and that you were at Dallas's party. So I came to you, but when I found you," he trailed off, and Ally grew panicked.

"Austin, what," Ally leaned up lightly, and he locked eyes with her. Seriousness was displayed all across his facial features.

"When I found you last night, you were completely out of it. Your eyes were puffy from crying, your voice was gone from sobbing. Your hair was a mess, and your uniform was ripped. You couldn't concentrate on your words at all, you couldn't even form a correct sentence, and your eyes were glazed over. You murmured something on the way back to the truck about someone shoving you against a door causing you to hit your head and inflict pain to your shoulder blades." The only thing on his face was the pain. Pain that he was having to tell her this and neither of them knew what happened.

"It looked as if you had been taken advantage of," Austin whispered, reaching over to grip her hand tightly.

He watched as Ally took in the information. Her mouth opened from the shock, and tears threatened the brim of her eyes. He watched as she tried to search her head for any recognition at all. She looked back up to lock eyes with him, and she shook her head. He wasn't sure if it was in denial or shock.

"Austin, I-I don't remember anything from last night," her voice cracked at the thought of someone doing something to her that she had no control of. Tears streamed down her voice as a variation of thoughts ran through her mind.

Who was it? What really happened? Why couldn't she remember anything?

Her breathing began to pick up as all of the thoughts swarmed her mind. Everything felt as if it were spinning, apart from the fact that she was sitting still in bed.

Her gasp of breath grew more urgent.

"Au-Austin, I c-can't b-brea-breath," she panicked, reaching out for him. He quickly shifted closer to her, gripping her hands tightly in his. "Look, look at me. Look right here gorgeous," he ordered her gently, reaching to tilt her head to watch him.

"We are gonna count to ten slowly, okay," he reached up to push the strands of hair behind her ear. It didn't take long for her to calm down, but Ally was pretty sure it was the touch of Austin more than the counting. He reached out to bring her into his chest.

And just like that, you didn't need words. They didn't need an apology. Austin was always there for Ally, and vice versa. They had always been friends, and no matter their title, that's what they were always gonna be.

/

Ally stared up at the ceiling. A white, boring, blank canvas of a ceiling on a Sunday night. She couldn't sleep. She had barely slept in the last two nights after the incident. She hadn't left the house.

She hasn't answered phone calls. Done school work. Worked on a choreography routine for cheer.

Ally was well aware that her friends were concerned about her after her just leaving out of the blue the other night at the party. She called them once to see if they had made it home safe without her the other night after leaving Austin's.

Luckily for her, her dad thought she was staying the night with Trish and didn't question her actions of being out so late. Not that he notice as he stayed put in his office the entire night. And while she hadn't been answering her phone, her friends came to the house, in hopes of reaching her.

Fortunately, her dad didn't question her when she told him she didn't feel too great, asking him to decline politely.

 _Ding_

Yet another notification sounded from her phone, but she wasn't in the mood for removing herself from her bed to retrieve the phone.

A knock sounded on her door, and before she could answer, her dad made himself known by gently peeking through the frame.

"Hey Ally-Cat," her dad greeted lightly, not having called her that in over six years. Ally was taken back by his moderately passive approach. He walked completely in the door way, carrying two mugs in his hands. Ally raised an eyebrow in question as she sat up in the bed against the frame.

"Dad," she quizzed as she examined his every move. He walked over to her bed, sitting on the edge of it while placing the mug in her hand. She looked down into the mug to see his famous hot chocolate that he only made when she was feeling crappy.

She smiled gently, taking a small sip of the chocolaty goodness, mentally moaning when it hit her tongue. "Ally-Cat, what's been bothering you? You've been acting different," he raised his eyebrows in worry, and Ally's eyes widened.

Since when did he notice when things were off with her.

She stared into the eyes of her father and she felt the guilt eating her alive not being able to tell the one person who was supposed to protect her from anything in the world. She bit her bottom lip to get it from wobbling, but that didn't stop the tears that quickly filled her eyes, falling down her face at a rapid pace.

"Ally," Lester questioned frantically, quickly placing both of their mugs on her night stand. A sob fell from her lips as she curled into her father's arms. "Daddy," she sobs in his chest, and Lester felt his heart break into at the sound of his little girl so broken.

"Sweetheart, what's going on," he softly pulled her back at arm's length. "If I tell y-you, you will h-hate me," she stuttered, and Lester titled his head in devastation, wondering what could have happened to make his daughter think that.

"Ally, I can't help you if you don't tell me what is going on. You are my little girl, nothing you could do would ever make me hate you," he cooed, and she straightened her posture, ready to explain.

"Friday night, a-after the game. I went with Trish and Leo to Dallas Harris's Halloween party," she focused on making her words steady. Lester nodded, giving her his full attention.

"We got there and it was really loud and crowded, too much for my liking so as I went to step out to get some air, Dallas showed up in front of me. I hadn't had a drink at all that night, and I was supposed to be driving home. Well, Dallas kept pressuring me into having one drink, so I took it," she took in a shaky breath and Lester feared where this was going.

"I don't remember what happened after that. I woke up in my friend, Austin Moon's room because I apparently called him in the middle of the night sobbing, asking for him to come get me. Au-Austin said when he found me," Ally paused as tears made their way once again to her eyes, "that I distraught. That my hair was extremely messy, my eyes were puffy from crying, and my throat was cracking from sobbing. He noticed that my u-uniform was ri-ripped," Ally let a small sob escaped once again from her lips, and Lester felt his own tears form, knowing where this was going.

"He," Lester cleared his throat, trying to hold back his tears, "he thinks it was sexual assault."

Ally nodded silently, tears continuing to stream down her face, along with her father too.

"Dad, I don't re-remember anything. I do-don't know what happened. I-I'm scared," she trembled in fear and Lester placed a hand over his eyes, gathering himself.

"Okay, okay. Al, do you remember the drink tasting funny in any way," Lester focused on the task at hand. Ally thought back to the dreadful night. "I-I don't know, it was a beer I think. It tasted nasty," Ally explained, and Lester nodded, expecting that.

Ally let out an exhausted sigh, running her fingers through her hair. Lester stared at his daughter in worry, "don't worry Al, we will figure this out, okay. You need to get some sleep," Lester ordered. Ally nodded, and Lester tucked her in, placing a kiss upon her forehead.

"Here," Lester grabbed two pills off the night stand that Ally never noticed he brought up. "These will help you sleep."

With that, Ally took the pills and was out like a light.

/

"Hey, guys."

Trish and Leo whirled around to come face to face with the one and only, Ally Dawson. Both of their eyes widened, and they threw themselves at the brunette.

"Ally, what the hell!" Trish exclaimed, hugging the brunette tightly, along with Leo who had yet to let go. "You guys," Ally chuckled, trying to push the two off of her. They wouldn't budge so Ally let her arms fall and waited it out.

When they finally pulled away, they both smacked her in the arms. "Ow, you guys! What the crap," Ally snapped, rubbing her arms in hopes to relieve the pain.

"Where in the hell did you go? We looked freaking everywhere for you. Leo luckily didn't drink, but I was drunk off my ass. We thought you had gotten kidnapped or something," Trish rapidly explained, and Ally smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I caught a ride home with someone," Ally informed, mentally praying that they wouldn't ask who. "Who did you catch a ride with," Leo always required an answer. Ally fretfully racked her mind to come up with a reasonable answer.

"Me."

Ally jumped when an arm flung over her shoulder, and she looked up to be met with Austin. She shot him a worried look, not ready to explain herself or what happened to her friend, simply because she was not sure what actually happened.

"I was at the party and I was talking to Ally, we apologized to each other and became friends. It started to get to crowded so we went on one of our little joy rides," Austin smoothly lied, and Ally stared at him in slight shock. How was he so good at that?

Leo and Trish stared at the duo, not completely believing the two, and Ally knew it wasn't because of the situation. They thought they were both involved with each other, again.

"Guys, we are just friends. Nothing else, I know what you two are thinking," Ally cleared up quickly, and they both crossed their arms over their chest before shooting each other a knowing look. Ally rolled her eyes as they both sent her a "we will talk later" glare. Yes, a glare.

With that they both turned, linked arms, and walked to class.

Ally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and Austin looked down at her. "Thank you Austin," Ally quickly acknowledged, running her fingers through her entangled locks. Austin let his eyes roam her body, taking in her current appearance.

"Gorgeous, I am gonna say this is the nicest way possible, you look like crap," Austin indicated, and Ally shot him a harsh frown.

Her hair fell in a tousled mess down her back and shoulders, looking at if it hadn't been brushed in a couple of days other than her fingers constantly running through it. Her face was completely bare of any cosmetics while she styled a pair of charcoal colored cheer sweats, and a navy hoodie with the words "Miami High" in bold, yellow lettering across the front.

And it wasn't the fact that she had no makeup on, or that she wasn't dressed to impress, it was what others didn't pay attention to. Dark circles lingered under her puffy, irradiated eyes from lack of sleep and numerous amounts of tears. The fact that her bottom lip looked completely raw and swollen from her horrible habit of biting on it when under an immense amount of stress. She was pale and her movements were sluggish. What affected him the most was her usual caring, outgoing, carefree personality was on hold due to everything bearing down on her.

"Thanks, Aus, that's what every girl wants to hear." Her voice was monotone, holding no emotion when she would usually throw back a playful insult. His heart broke.

"Ally.."

"Ally Dawson, please report to the gym. Ally Dawson, please report to the gym."

The intercom interrupted him. Ally sighed and moved towards the exit of the building towards the gym, and Austin followed. Ally gave him a questioning glance when he fell into step beside her.

"Austin, don't you have to get to class," Ally mentioned, and Austin shook his head. "Senior, remember. Don't have a first period, office aid." Ally nodded, remembering that he was, in fact, an office and this period.

As they made their way into the gym, Ally felt her heart stop as she spotted Coach Sarah glaring at her from across the room. Slowly making her way towards her, Ally stood in front of her coach.

"Yes coach," Ally hesitantly asked, and Sarah's glare hardened. Pulling out her phone, Sarah showed her a picture. "Explain this Ally."

Ally's blood ran cold as she stared at the picture. It consisted of herself pushed up again a wall with a large, dark physique towering over her. Whom ever took the picture, they made sure to get only her face and cheer uniform showing. Only this was before the uniform was ripped.

"Ally, this is inexcusable, unacceptable!" Coach Sarah started to yell when Ally only stared at the picture in shock, not explaining herself. She couldn't.

"Coach Sarah, she was drugged and assaulted! It wasn't her fault!" Austin was quick to make his way over to her to defend Ally against the accusing Coach.

Hearing a room full of gasps, Ally turned to find the entire cheer squad standing at the entrance of the gym.

"Oh, would you look at that, Miss 'Captain Perfect' is a slut."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm back! I hope you are all having a lovely start of spring, and everything is going well. I don't really have much to say other than this chapter is really not edited. Not only is it not edited, I have on acrylic nails, so it made it harder to type.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the seventh chapter of "Getting the Girl".**

 **Warning: NOT EDITED**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognized.**

 _/_

 _Previously on "Getting the Girl"…_

" _Ally, this is inexcusable, unacceptable!" Coach Sarah started to yell when Ally only stared at the picture in shock, not explaining herself. She couldn't._

" _Coach Sarah, she was drugged and assaulted! It wasn't her fault!" Austin was quick to make his way over to her to defend Ally against the accusing Coach._

 _Hearing a room full of gasps, Ally turned to find the entire cheer squad standing at the entrance of the gym._

" _Oh, would you look at that, Miss 'Captain Perfect' is a slut."_

 _/_

The entire gym was quiet after the sentence was spoken aloud from none other than Brooke Stevens. It took everyone a minute for everyone to process what was said over, then mummers began to feel the room.

"Brooke, the only slut in the room is you," Leo fired back after the shock left his body. This caused the entire cheer squad to start arguing. The ones on Ally's side and the ones on Brooke's.

Ally felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked around. Everyone was a blur as she felt tears feel the brim of her eyes once again has they had done several times over the past two days. She looked at Austin as he stared at her in worry. Walking quickly to her, he firmly, yet gently grabbed her arm.

"Not here you don't. Come on," he whispered, pulling her as quickly as he could with her crutching, along with him across the gym. Everyone was so absorbed in their little civil war that they didn't notice the duo slipping out the back of the gym.

Ally took a huge gasp of the fresh air as soon as the stepped out of the gym. Austin stayed still, supporting her with his hand on her arm firmly. In front of them was the parking lot of the school where the students parked. Feeling for his truck keys, Austin gently pulled Ally towards the parking lot where his truck sat.

"Austin, wha-what are we doing," Ally questioned, gaining her composure while wiping her face free from the tears that managed to escape. "We are getting you out of here," Austin informed her, and Ally's eyes widened as she straighten her posture and loosened Austin grip on her arm. "What do you mean we are 'getting out of here'," Ally quoted him, starting at him in bewilderment.

"Ally, you are not in any sort of mental state to face the things people are gonna say to or about you today. Why don't we just go out and have a day to ourselves?"

"But Austin, what about my dad and school?"

"Als, you dad will understand. Plus, you never miss, just come with me," Austin pushed for her to agree, but noticed the look of doubt on her face. He frowned and sighed, walking over to her placing his hands on her shoulders. "Look, if you really don't want to do this, then we will go to first period and I'll be there to face the day with you. But Ally, I really don't think you can handle today, I don't mean that in any bad way, I'm just worried about you," Austin spoke sincerely.

Ally stared up into the eyes of the guy made tears fall from hers no more than a week ago, yet here he was being the person who kept her from falling apart. The way they used to be. No peer pressure to be someone they aren't. No friends to watch their every move. No one to be jealous of. No problems. Like they had started over.

"Yes."

Austin felt his smile widened and he reached down to intertwine their fingers. "Well come on then gorgeous."

/

Ally felt free.

All the stress she had endured over the course of the past two days, the past week, had all faded in this moment.

The wind whipped harshly through the truck's rolled down windows, forcing her hair to fly in all different directions. Her bare feet were propped up on dash as she was leaned back in seat, her eyes closed taking in the sounds of the ruthless wind and the blasting radio that played the current common pop songs.

Austin hand had somehow found a place on her bare thigh, not to low but not high while he glided his thumb back and forth soothingly. Before ditching school, Ally had managed to grab some denim, ripped shorts from her car so she could enjoy the last bit of the moderately warm, Miami summer weather that they had left. Yet, she styled one of Austin's tees that she tied up with a ponytail. When he handed it to her, she didn't miss the fact that it had his last name and football number on it. Not that she was complaining about any of the prior, she quite enjoyed it actually.

Austin looked over at Ally's relaxed figure and smiled. He had finally gotten her to settle down after everything that had happened, and he was genuinely happy she was happy.

"What do you say gorgeous, how about an ice-cream cone and a walk on the beach," Austin questioned, and Ally looked at him, smiling. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed, and with that, Austin pulled into a parking spot next to the beach where the ice-cream shops and boardwalks were.

Austin cut off the ignition and hopped out of the truck along with Ally following him.

As they grabbed their ice cream cones, they started making their way to one of the abandon piers. They were both very thankful that the beach wasn't very crowded due to people working and teenagers in school. Also, they couldn't rule out the fact that it was just the starting of September, but with it being Miami, Florida, the weather definitely wasn't below the 70's.

Reaching the end of the pier, they sat on the edge, swinging their legs back and forth, eating their ice cream in a comfortable silence. As they finished, Austin watched as Ally propped her hands on the pier beside her, looking down into the water below her.

"Ally."

Ally turned to Austin, taking in the serious tension around them as Austin's expression was firm. "Yeah," Ally furrowed her brows in question.

"I'm really sorry about what happened at the beach the other day. I really regret the way I acted, and I hated that I didn't listen to you. What I said to you was unreasonable and unforgivable. Hell, I didn't even come to the hospital when you were hurt," Austin apologized but muttered in anger as he ran his hand through his hair at remembering his actions. Ally frowned.

As much as she wished she could forget what happened between them at the beach last week, she couldn't. She knew that they had to talk about it at some point, but she also realized that she valued her friendship and confusing relationship with Austin too much to hold a grudge over what happened.

"Aus," Ally whispered, placing a hand over his free hand on the pier. "I don't want to hold anything against each other because of that. I'm not gonna say what you did was okay, but I said some things that I regret too. I missed this. I missed us, whatever we are or were. I missed you. I just want to forget about it. We learned from it, but I don't want to dread on it," Ally whispered, looking down at the boardwalk, nervous that her confessions weren't something he would return.

Placing a finger underneath her chin, Austin tilted her head up to lock eyes with hers. "Ally Dawson." Austin smiled when he watched her eyebrows raise, and her bottom lip forms her natural pout of hers that he loved so much. She looked so curious, yet so adorable. Leaning towards her, he stopped right before his lips touched hers.

Ally let her eyes flicker to his lips and then back to meet his eyes. "Can I kiss you?" Ally felt his breath tickle her lips as he whispered his question. Ally let her lips flick just slightly as she wanted to smile, but kept her reaction nonchalant, nodding.

Austin smirked, and finally let his lips capture hers in a firm, tender kiss. Austin smiled as he felt her sigh in satisfaction. He let his other hand come up to grip her other cheek as he deepened the kiss.

Soon, Ally lost track of how long their lips stayed connect, but soon she broke the kiss for air. He leaned his forehead against her, kissing the tip of her nose. "God, I missed you," Austin growled roughly, breathing heavily, and Ally felt plenty of emotions surge through her body.

Ally smiled, leaning in to kiss him lightly once more in order to express her emotional state.

But soon, realization her as she frowned and pulled away. Austin instantly became worried, "Ally, what's wrong?"

Ally let out a scoff, but he knew it wasn't directed towards him. "How? How could you still want to protect me, kiss me, want me after the position I put myself in the other night. Austin, I-I don't know what I did. I could have done something that I don't remember. What if it wasn't sexual assault? What if it was consensual," Ally throughout in a heap of worry.

Austin felt shock take over as he tried to comprehend why she would think any of that for a spilt second. "Ally." Reaching over to grip her face in his hands once again, he forced her to look and listen. "What happened is not in any way, shape or form your fault. It was not consensual if anything even happened. You would not have called me if it was. This is a serious situation, and I know you don't remember what happened and I know that something could have." He was stern but yet his voice wavered at the realization that something could have actually happened, and he watched as the tears fell from her eyes. Letting his thumbs reach over, he gently wiped them away.

"But guess what? You are mine, Ally Dawson. It doesn't matter about labels, our peers, or our friends. It doesn't matter if something happened, it wasn't your fault. You're mine, and I'm not letting you go. Do you understand that?"

Ally felt her eyes widened in shock, and while she was still upset about the current stressors she was having to face, she couldn't begin to explain how weak her knees felt and she wasn't even standing up. Ally took in the possessive side of Austin that she had yet to see, until now, and while a majority of girls wouldn't find it attractive to be talked about like an 'object' almost, she didn't see it like that.

She saw the confidence roll of him, claiming that he wanted her. That no one would take her from him, and he would be prepared to confidently defend that. He wasn't playing games with her, he wanted her and everything that came with her. He was serious about her, about them.

The past month, they had been running around in circles. They kept trying to figure out what they were, and while they didn't necessarily need a label to all of their peers, friends, or the rest of society, they need a label amongst themselves. Austin was hers and she was his. It didn't matter about what other people thought, they were focused on each other and their status they needed for themselves.

Ally smiled. "I'm yours Austin Moon, but guess what?" He raised his eyebrows. "You are mine as well."

He smirked and nodded. "Whatever you want, gorgeous." And with that, he sealed her lips with his.

/

Two weeks had flown by before Ally knew it.

Two weeks, but yet so much and so little had happened.

She still had no memory of that night that took place nearly three weeks ago, and she was beginning to grow frustrated. Her fear wasn't on who did it, more like did it get that far? She was still 'intact' as some people would say, and her plan was to not do anything with anyone unless it felt right. It sounded cliché in her mind, but she was waiting for the right time and the right person.

If she still had that privilege…

The principal eventually found out about the situation from her cheer coach and a whole investigation was thrown at her. Pretty much the entire school was at the party that night, but no one recalled see Ally being forced upon.

She didn't want the investigation, but after talks with her father, friends, and Austin, they encouraged her to agree.

Austin and she had been dating for the past two weeks ever since that day at the pier. While they didn't announce their relationship, people gathered information either from their display of affection in public, their social media's, or the talk that had formed around the school.

Austin and she didn't really care for telling everyone, but they weren't shy with their relationship. In the beginning they didn't display any affection, but once Austin had posted her upon his snap chat last Saturday, her throwing up a peace sign while kissing at the camera from the passenger side of his truck along with the caption 'I sure did miss my gorgeous girl', had everyone talking in an instant. She wasn't angry at him outing their relationship to the entire school, she was just angry with the picture, which consisted of her in no makeup and a messy ponytail. In the end, it just consisted of Austin telling her to get over it, that he loved the picture and that he wasn't deleting it. That ended with Ally shooting a ponytail at him from the passenger side right in the ear.

Ally was currently packing up her gym bag, a feeling of nervousness settling in her stomach at having to go see Austin. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, it was what she had to tell him that was so nerve racking.

Walking, yes walking because she had finally been put into a knee wrap instead of on crutches, to the field, she saw Austin laughing along with Dez and Shane outside of the weight room. Upon arriving, Austin smiled and reached out to pull her into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Hey gorgeous."

"Ugh, you two make me sick," Shane joked, and Austin chuckled. "Oh well, sucks for you," Austin fired back playfully and bided a goodbye to his team mates, walking Ally over to her car. Noticing her fidgeting with the end of her tee, Austin stopped causing her to as well.

"Als, what's wrong?" Austin looked down at her and he grew nervous as a look of worry over took her face. "I have something to tell you," Ally admitted, and Austin nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"I couldn't handle not knowing ho-how far that night went, so-so I kind of made an appointment with the do-doctor to find out results about…that," Ally sputtered lightly, and Ally watched as Austin looked around putting two and two together.

"Oh. You are," Austin questioned, shocked upon hearing the news. "Ye-yeah. I need to know, it is driving me crazy. I can't sleep, so I think I should go," Ally self-confessed and Austin nodded slowly, processing her decision.

"Okay, um, when is it," Austin quizzed, and Ally looked down. "Today, in like an hour."

Austin took in a quick breath at this. He wasn't angry or annoyed with her decision, it was her body, and he was just worried.

"Are you angry," Ally questioned softly. Upon hearing her soft, worried question, Austin snapped out of his daze. "No. No, no gorgeous." He brought her into a hug, feeling her relax. "I'm not angry, I'm just worried about the outcome," he admitted, and while he knew it would lead her to unnecessary thoughts, he wouldn't lie to her. He would simply ease her doubts as best he could.

Pulling away from his slightly so she could look up at his face, she asked the question that had been swarming in her head since she thought of all of this.

"Wou-would you leave? You-you know, if I wasn't-," he quickly cut off her question with a soft kiss of reassurance. "No, don't even let that cross your mind for a second," Austin soft informed, and Ally nodded quietly.

Austin wasn't use to see Ally so vulnerable as much as he had seen in the past two weeks. To everyone else, she was the same confident, lovely, cheerful person she had always been, but to him and very few others, they saw the same no others had seen.

"Do you want me to go with you," Austin asked, reaching up to move a fallen hair from her face. "In all honesty, it would probably make me feel better," Ally admitted softly. Austin smiled lightly as she hid her face behind her hair as she looked to her feet.

He kissed her head and tilted her head up to steal a kiss from her lips. "You got it, sweetheart."

/

Ally sat nervously on the doctor's bed like thingy that really hurt her bum. She looked around the room, moving around on the bed as she waited for the doctor to come back. "Als, calm down gorgeous," Austin reached over to place a comforting hand on her knee.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just worried," she spoke, and Austin sent her a comforting smile. "I know, but I'm gonna be right out here. You'll go back for only a few minutes, and they will give you the results as soon as they are done," Austin informed, and while Ally knew how it worked, she was curious as to why he knew.

"How in the world do you know how this process works," Ally interrogated, and Austin shrugged.

"Almost got a girl pregnant once, no big deal." Austin shrugged, and Ally reached over to slap his shoulder.

"Ow shit, Ally, I'm kidding," Austin laughed, and Ally took in a breath finally realizing that he was obviously joking. "Sorry." Ally leaned her head down and placed them in her hands. Austin sighed, feeling bad. Standing up, he stood in front of her.

"I'm sorry gorgeous."

Ally shook her head, placing her forehead on his chest. "No, it's fine. You were just messing with me, I took it too seriously."

"You didn't, you are just nervous."

"Hello."

The door opened and the doctor stepped in. "Ally Dawson," she questioned, looking down at the clip board that was in her hand. She shook her head, and the doctor pointed to the door that leads to a private room.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

And with that, she let Austin kiss her head and she walked in.

/

Austin patiently waited. It had been about fifteen minutes since Ally had gone back and he was growing antsy. The entire time he had been trying to keep his worry to a minimum for Ally, but he couldn't help but be worried for her.

What if it wasn't the news she had hoped for? What if she was pregnant? What if she had caught a disease? There were so many things running threw his mind, and as the door opened, he jumped from his seat onto his feet.

"So?"

Her face still held worry, and he felt his heart drop. "I told her to wait and tell me the results with you," Ally admitted, and Austin let out a breath and nodded. Sitting back down, he motioned for her to sit in his lap as they awaited the doctor. She appeared not too long later.

"So Ally, you visited today for results of any signs of any forced intercourse and the risks that followed with it, and I am happy to tell you that there is no sign of rape or sexual assault."

Ally felt relief surge through her body as she dropped her head onto Austin's shoulder, letting tears of relief fall onto his neck. With that, the doctor left the room to give the teenagers some privacy.

Austin tightened his grip on her as he then felt relief. She was okay. She was physically okay.

/

 **I hope you all enjoyed that chapter.**

 **As you read this, I want you all to know how important sexual assault and rape is. Ally is not being a 'wimp' or a 'diva' as some would call it. When put into a situation like that, extreme measures need to be taken. I hope you all understand that.**

 **Anyways, until next time.**

 **Have a great Easter and God Bless!**

 **~Meg**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, you guys! I hope you all had an amazing Easter! Here is the eighth chapter of "Getting the Girl", and I hope you all enjoy it. It isn't edited, just a warning.**

 **But guess what you guys! It's officially my 16** **th** **birthday! I'm so excited, but it's only because I can finally get my license, lol.**

 **Anyways, enjoy.**

 **Warning: NOT EDITED**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you may recognize.**

/

"Up and hit!"

Ally's voice carried throughout the entire gym as she directed the cheer squad to perfect their current routine.

She noticed that Kira, one of her flyers, lacked hitting the toe touch midair. "Kira, you need to hit sooner!" The bases brought the flyers back down safely to the ground, and as soon as Kira's feet hit the gym floor, she was marching over to Ally. A scowl covered her face, and Ally stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she waited.

Kira stopped right in front of Ally, nose to nose, a glare that she thought was intimidating. Ally raised her eyebrows, her mouth in a straight line as she waited for Kira's reasoning for her actions.

"Listen, Dawson, how about you keep your mouth shut. You don't know half the shit you are talking about. Besides, it isn't like you can do it any better, bum knee or not," Kira snarled. Ally's glare hardened.

Looking behind Kira, she spotted Leo, Chase, and Michael, Kira's bases that supported her in the basket toss. Locking eyes with Kira once again, she noticed Kira's intimidating stance waver just a little bit at Ally's glare.

"Okay Star, watch and learn." Ally walked around Kira towards the squad. "I'm filling in Kira's spot for this go. Trish, step out along with Kira and watch." Ally's command was loud and stern, and this caused Leo and Trish to catch each other's gaze. She had a knee wrap on now and no crutches, but had she been cleared?

Everyone got into place while Trish started counting aloud, and Ally jumped up to place herself in the basket formed by her team mates. As they lifted her up, Ally felt herself fly into the air, making sure to hit exactly when the rest of the flyers did. Adrenaline coursed throughout her body at the rush she felt from flying. The height she gathered as she flew upward, or how you never knew if you were going to be caught at the bottom or not.

While some found it strange and freighting, she never shied away from it. Feeling herself fall safely into the basket, she heard clapping and cheering. As she landed on her feet, she immediately made her way over to Kira who was dumbfounded. Coming nose to nose once again with Kira, she towered over her, even though they were the same height.

"Listen, Star, it doesn't matter how much you despise me being your captain, you still have to listen to me. You want to know why, because I could kick you on your ass right outside that gym door and someone will be filling that spot for good. I don't know what you are trying to prove, and frankly, I don't care, but you better get your act together," Ally gritted, never letting her glare lighten.

Kira nodded silently and stepped away from the head cheerleader. Ally turned to everyone to see that they had gotten silent. "Practice is over. Practice tomorrow until 6," Ally ordered and waved for everyone to be dismissed.

Leo and Trish lingered, wanting to approach their best friend, but was afraid of the outcome. They stared at her back as they watched her pack her gym bag. Feeling their stares, she spoke, "I won't bite, and you two know that."

Trish and Leo flinched at her callous remark and slowly walked over to sit on the bottom row of the bleachers beside her bag. "Well, you did basically just bite Kira's head off," Leo cautiously stated, and Ally rolled her eyes.

"Maybe she shouldn't challenge herself to someone she can't win against," Ally shrugged, and the two friends looked at their captain in shock. They both looked down at their feet.

"So, Als. Do you want to go grab some coffee at the bookstore with Leo and me," Trish questioned, knowing the love her best friend had for the bookstore. Ally shook her head, "sorry guys, not really feeling up to it."

"Als, you are always up for the bookstore. Come on, I felt like the three of us haven't hung out in weeks," Leo pleaded. They wanted their best friend back.

Ally turned to her best friends, the ones she would jump in front of a moving train for, and studied their faces. A frown was painted on both of their faces, making her cringe for being the one to cause it. Ally couldn't read them, but they wanted something more.

Ally sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, I'll come."

/

Trish, Leo, and Ally sat in a coffee shop within a bookstore. The smell of freshly made coffee and new books encircled them. While Ally stared out the window, running her finger around the rim of her coffee cup, Leo and Trish stared at her in concern.

In the past three weeks, both of them could count on one hand how many times they had talked to Ally. She was either too busy with studies, being the cheer captain, or hanging out with Austin. Even at the football games, she didn't talk to them. They knew she wasn't ignoring them, but rather they knew she didn't know what to say.

They hadn't confronted her about what happened in the gym other than one time, and when that happened, it resulted in Ally growing defense and angry with them and walking away. They hadn't confronted her about her relationship with Austin. Nor that they confronted her about the way she had been acting recently, not only towards them but to everyone else.

"Als."

Ally turned her head to send a questioning glance to her friends that sat across from her in the booth.

"What has been going on with you," Trish questioned, and Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean," Ally asked, her posture eased letting the two believe that she wasn't worried about their reactions to anything that had been happening.

"Ally, you know exactly what we mean." Leo leaned up to grow a sterner attitude. He saw puzzlement cross her eyes before her gaze hardened. "No, Leo. I really don't," she growled, and automatic defense mechanism.

Trish immediately straightened, prepared to ease the tension between the two. "Guys. Ally, we are worried about you. You have been off the past three weeks. You haven't talked to us, you haven't concerned us into your life. We want to be there. I haven't seen you like this since..,"

"My mother."

Trish nodded silently, having to bring up such a weak moment in Ally's life.

Ally slumped, placing her head in her hands. She knew they were right. She was off.

After the doctor's appointment last week, she thought she would be worry free, but the only thing it did was make her focus more on who it was. She could be walking by them in the hallway each day and never know it.

She didn't tell them about Austin, which she knew angered them. They were the ones she told everything too.

They had tried talking to her, even about the situation and the investigation, but she got angry and walked away. Not only had she been treating her best friends badly, she was treating everyone else just the same.

Tears pricked her eyes. She missed being happy, worry free.

As Leo and Trish waited for Ally to look up, they instantly felt guilty as they spotted the tears in her eyes. Ally was never one to cry, ever.

"Als," Trish whispered, reaching over to grip her hand.

"I am so sorry," Ally whimpered. "I've been treating you guys like you are nothing. I've completely pushed you both out of my life, what kind of friend am I," Ally's bottom lip wobbled as she closed her eyes, not able to face two of the most important people in her life.

"Ally, we are here for you. You know that. We are never leaving you," Leo declared, reaching over to grip her other hand that wasn't occupied by Trish.

"Exactly. You are always our confidant, the person who would bend over backward just to make sure we are happy. Let us be that for you, you can't shut us out whenever you get like this. We know Austin doesn't let you, and no way in hell are we going to either," Trish fiercely spoke, showing the passion and love she held for her best friend.

"Tell us what is up," Leo gently ordered, and Ally spilled everything.

"I don't know. I went to the doctor to find out if the sexual assault went that far, and Austin came with me. I wasn't raped, but I thought I would feel better knowing that I wasn't. Trust me, I do, but I can't help but now put all my focus and worry into who it could be. I still don't remember anything about that night, and no one claims to have seen me with anyone. I can't handle not knowing what happened," Ally rushed out, finally able to take a breather.

Leo and Trish pulled back baffled that the brunette could speak as fast as she did.

"Als, I know you wish you could find out who it was, but do you ever think about how maybe you fought back, maybe you were the one that hurt them and got away. Yes, you were the victim, but don't classify yourself as one," Leo's advice was firm and Trish followed.

"Ally, you are so cheerful, so confident, and so loving to everyone around you. You don't worry about what people think of you, and you are so radiant. You stand up for what you believe in, and you never let anyone tear you, anyone or anything you care about down. Do not let anyone take away your happiness, that's what they want from you. To lose yourself in the midst of all of the chaos. You are not a part of the chaos, if anything, you are the calm."

Tears spilled down Ally's cheeks left and right.

They were right. This was her life, she wasn't about to let anyone or anything control it.

"I love you two so much," Ally thickly expressed. By now the three each had their own tears running down their face.

"You are Ally Dawson. Happy, radiant, and our beautiful best friend."

/

Ally laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, something she found herself doing often recently. Yet, this time instead of worry coursing through her body, it was confidence, happiness, and hope.

As she laid there, thinking over what Trish and Leo had expressed to her, she knew they were right. She was done moping. She was done being thrown to the ground and being stomped on. If the people hurting her were wanting to see her weak, they had, but only for a brief moment.

She was reevaluating her life, like she already had once before. She had incredible friends, a marvelous boyfriend, a supportive father, impressive grades, and was captain of the cheerleading squad. She was truly blessed, and she knew she was.

It wasn't arrogance or ego that was running through her, it was knowing what she had and being grateful for it.

She had worked so hard on becoming who she was. It took so long for her to become self-assured and content with herself. It took so long to stand up for what she believed in, to speak her mind, and to not care about what others thought. Someone she loved deeply broke her trust, but she never let it show.

Like she was always told, no one can compete with someone who wears pain around their neck like diamonds.

/

Austin walked through the high school doors and down the hallway. As he was heading to Ally's locker, he stopped in his tracks. There she stood with Leo and Trish, clutching her stomach as her sweet, breathtaking laughter filled the air. He noticed that she was dressed in skinny jeans with a bright, flowy top rather than sweat pants and a tee shirt. Her beautiful, brunette hair descended down her back in perfect curls.

She truly was radiant. Something he had seen in such a long time.

Austin continued to walk towards her and made sure to shush Leo and Trish. Throwing his arms around her waist from behind and instead of jumping, she turned her head to look up at him behind her. Her smile widened and dazzling.

"Hello," she greeted, leaning up to peck his lips. He smiled, kissing the side of her head. "You look beautiful today, gorgeous," he complimented, and she turned in his arms, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him.

"Thank you, this is the first time in forever I actually put effort into how I looked," she chuckled, and he followed but shook his head. "Not that, well I mean, you look amazing, but I'm talking about how happy you look. I haven't seen you like this in forever it feels like," he explained, and she gazed up at him smiling lightly.

"Yeah, Leo and Trish gave me some advice and knocked me back into gear. I'm focusing on my well-being now, not what happened," she admitted softly, and he felt pride erupt from within. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered, nuzzling his nose with hers. She giggled, and he felt his heart swell. How long had it been since he had heard a genuine giggle from her?

"Okay, okay you two. Keep the affection for the bedroom," Leo teased, and Ally raised her eyebrows at him. "At least I actually have a chance of getting the hot, star quarterback in the bedroom. Don't you wish you had that," Ally's wit hit him harder than he had expected and he was left dumb folded. Trish laughed, and Leo grumbled. "Damn, you really are back."

The four laughed, but it was interrupted by none other than Dallas Harris walking up to the four. "Hey, Ally."

Austin tightened his grip on her, not bothering to hide the glare he was sending Dallas's way. Ally tensed, but smiled nonetheless. "Hey, Dallas. What's up," she questioned, leaning back into the embrace of Austin. "Um, I was just wondering what happened between Kira and you," Dallas quizzed, and Ally grew confused.

"What do you mean," Trish butted in, and Dallas turned to Trish. "Kira has an injured ankle, it's pretty bad. She claims that you pushed her too hard at practice yesterday," he informed, and Ally straightens, pulling herself out of Austin's grasp.

"What!"

The three cheerleaders exclaimed, causing the two football players to jump in shock. Dallas held his hands up in defense, "I'm just going off what I know, she claims Ally pushed her too hard at practice yesterday and threatened her," Dallas notified. "But, I really need to go. Maybe you should look into it, Als."

Ally stood there in shock, not being able to comprehend what she just heard.

"You have to be fucking kidding me."

Three of the four flinched hearing the extreme swearword fall from the, usually poised, brunette. "Als, maybe this is big misunderstanding," Trish tried to calm the head cheerleader that was slowly becoming inconsolable.

"How, Trish," Ally snapped, turning her head to her friend. "How is this a misunderstanding? I didn't work her too hard yesterday, I mean she went through the routine only ten times. She never complained about her ankle, and I didn't threaten her, I threaten her position, but only because she threatened me," Ally growled, and Leo placed his hands upon her shoulders.

"Als, if Coach Sarah calls you in, tell her exactly what you just told us. Besides, the entire cheer squad was there, the majority of them are on your side," Leo soothed, and Ally pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why? Why does this keep happening to me," Ally whimpered, leaning back onto Austin. The three looked at their distraught best friend. There was nothing they could do to help her.

/

 **Poor Ally! Who just keeps hurting her?**

 **You all got a slight glimpse of her past, and it will be explained in later chapters. There wasn't as much Auslly fluff in this one, but that was because I wanted to focus on the trio's (Leo, Trish, and Ally) friendship. Explain everything that has been happening with them.**

 **I know it may seem scattered at the moment, Ally is happy one moment and sad the next, but guys, she's depressed and worried. That's what happens.**

 **Anyways, it should all level out soon ;)**

 **Can we just take a minute to recognize that I updated within eight days of the last update! Heck yeah! Lol, anyways.**

 **Have a great week and God bless!**

 **~Meg**


	9. Chapter 9

_Previously on "Getting the Girl"_

 _"I'm just going off what I know, she claims Ally pushed her too hard at practice yesterday and threatened her," Dallas notified. "But, I really need to go. Maybe you should look into it, Als."_

 _Ally stood there in shock, not being able to comprehend what she just heard._

 _"You have to be fucking kidding me."_

 _Three of the four flinched hearing the extreme swearword fall from the, usually poised, brunette. "Als, maybe this is a big misunderstanding," Trish tried to calm the head cheerleader that was slowly becoming inconsolable._

 _"How, Trish," Ally snapped, turning her head to her friend. "How is this a misunderstanding? I didn't work her too hard yesterday, I mean she went through the routine only ten times. She never complained about her ankle, and I didn't threaten her, I threaten her position, but only because she threaten me," Ally growled, and Leo placed his hands upon her shoulders._

 _"Als, if Coach Sarah calls you in, tell her exactly what you just told us. Besides, the entire cheer squad was there, the majority of them are on your side," Leo soothed, and Ally pinched the bridge of her nose._

 _"Why? Why does this keep happening to me," Ally whimpered, leaning back onto Austin. The three looked at their distraught best friend. There was nothing they could do to help her._

/

Ally stared down at the football field below her, perched up on the very top of the bleachers. An enormous 'MHS' in yellow and white letters was spray painted in the middle of the field, showing off the abbreviation of their school name and colors. She looked around at the empty stadium, taking in everything.

She stared down at the many places all throughout the stadium that held so many memories. All of their wins. All of their losses. Where Austin and herself shared their first interaction. Where she cheered on the sidelines for freshman, sophomore, and currently junior year. Where she's shared many laughs, victories, and tears with her teammates, peers, and friends.

Was it all worth it?

"Hey."

Ally turned her head to spot Austin in his usual striking glory. His scruffy, textured hair swept to the right in chaotic perfection. His jeans and tee shirt hugging him in all the right places, but his varsity jacket hiding majority of his muscular physique.

Would she be as lucky as she is to be with him if it wasn't for this place?

"Hey," Ally replied casually, turning back to view the football field. He cleared his throat as he placed his belongings down, and took a seat next to her. "Is this where you've been for the past two hours," Austin questioned, resting the palms of his hands beside his hips on the bleachers. Ally nodded silently.

Silence lingered for the next few minute before Ally broke it.

"Is it worth it?" It was quiet, but Austin got it in time. He furrowed his eyebrows in her direction. "What do you mean?" Ally scoffed, and let her shoulders slump.

"I used to view this field as a safe place, ya know? I mean, I cheer every Friday night for something I genuinely hold pride for alongside people I thought I could trust with my life. I met you here. We had our first interaction here. We are gonna graduate here, walk across this field."

She stayed silent for a moment before turning to look Austin in the eyes. Hazel to brown.

"I've never experienced anything like I have now due to the team I'm on, the friends I have, or the school I come to every day. Now, it's like everywhere I look, I can't do anything right. Something is always coming up, just when I'm thinking I can fight it. I'm not strong enough."

Austin was baffled, never having seen Ally so close to giving up.

"Ally, don't. Don't think that way. The people that are doing this to you want to see you fail. They are envious, and I can see why they are," Austin gripped her hand, trying as hard as he could to get her to see herself the way he saw her.

"Where was that girl I saw this morning? The one who was ready to take on the world again, having found herself after having something happen people expected to knock her down. Ally, I know you are still in there kicking. You can't just give up," Austin muttered, more determined than ever to see the fire in her once again.

"I thought I could do it. I thought I found myself." Ally whispered, letting her gaze drop to her feet. Austin forced her to look up at him by placing his fingers under her chin.

"No. You did find yourself. I've watched you the past month, fighting the battles you have. One of the main reasons I fell for you was because of the determination and fire that burned so bright within you, no one could have put it out if they tried. It shined so brightly. You are the type of person who doesn't need approval from anyone or anything. You love yourself, and you don't need anyone to do it for you. How you got that way, I don't know yet, but you fought an inner battle to get that way. You overcame something to be the person you were before this chaos happened, and you can do it again. That's a gorgeous thing about you."

Ally felt tears rim her eyes, but she blinked them away. "You are right. I've overcome something that made me the way I am or was. But that was so hard, I don't know how to do it again," Ally admitted, and Austin wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her gently into his side.

"Gorgeous, you've done it before. You can do it again, and it'll be easier this time. Focus on you. Think of the things that make you happy, the things you are grateful for, and put all your focus on you. I miss you. You are sitting right beside me, but you aren't you. I miss the old you," Austin's voice cracked, and Ally shot her eyes up to see just how much of a toll all of this had taken on him.

He really did care about her.

Ally slowly placed a hand on his face and brought him down to meet her. Forehead to forehead. "You are one of the most important people in my life, Ally. I want you happy," Austin spoke with so much sincerity, never breaking eye contact with her.

"I'll find myself, Aus. I'm sure it'll take time, but I'll find myself," Ally whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. His smile was brightened, just by a simple sign that she wasn't giving up, not yet.

/

Lester walked into the dark, massive house that was soundless. Looking around, he saw nothing but the digital clock on the kitchen counter, shining brightly as it read 11:24. He sighed as he hung his jacket on the coat hanger, and turned on the light to the living room.

He nearly yelled at the sudden sight of his daughter sitting on the couch, staring out the window, but calmed himself so he wouldn't frighten her. "Ally. Honey, what are you doing sitting in the dark," he questioned as he slowly started to make his way over to her.

His movement stopped along with his heart as she turned to him. Tears glistened on her cheeks from the moonlight hitting them, her tiny, button nose was raw, and her bottom lip, which was wedged between her teeth, wobbling.

"Honey, what's the matter," he quickened his steps to her, sitting on the couch beside her. He wasn't sure if she wanted to be touched, or if she wanted to talk, so he safely placed his hand above hers.

"Why weren't we good enough," her voiced cracked, a sob enclosing her throat, "why did she leave us to defend ourselves."

Lester's breath left him altogether, not sure how to answer his distraught daughter. His princess, his lifeline sitting before him. "Al," he trailed off in a whisper. "Your mother just wasn't ready for-"

Ally cut him off. "Ready for what? Ready for commitment, even though she'd been married for sixteen years before she decided it wasn't for her? Ready to be a mother, even though she had already been one for fourteen years? It's not that she wasn't ready. She just didn't want to be anymore. She got bored, so she left."

Ally's voice was harsh and unforgiving, something Lester wasn't used to hearing from his usually optimistic, cheerful daughter.

"She's supposed to be here. She was supposed to be the one to help me pick out an outfit for my first date. She was supposed to help me do my hair and makeup for every cheer try out or competition. She is supposed to be the one who welcomes my boyfriend into our home warmly while you play the 'Big Bad Dad' role," a sob escaped, and Lester felt a tear run down his face, finally seeing his daughter fall apart from the damage his ex-wife done three years ago. "Both you and she should be here holding me while I've gone through all the crap I have for the past month."

Ally couldn't control the sobs that were escaping one after the other as her dad brought her into his chest. She felt his hold tighten and his body shake as well as they both cried. Sobbing over the women Ally once called her mother and Lester once called his wife.

Lester gained his composure, and leaned away from Ally, keeping her at arm's length. "Honey, listen. While your mother may not deserve our love or trust, she also doesn't deserve our tears either. While I would love to take the credit, your mother taught you so much. You just may not see it," Lester explained, and Ally stared at her father. "What could that woman have possibly taught me?"

Her voice was meek and timid. Lester gave her a small smile, "you need to figure that out, honey. Once you do, you will realize that her leaving has impacted your life in better ways instead of just damaging it."

Ally let the advice of her father sink in. What could Penny Dawson have possibly taught her?

/

Ally focused on her breathing while putting one foot in front of the other as she jogged down through her neighborhood. Alessia Cara's "Four Pink Walls" blasted from her earphones to her ear drums. Her eyes roamed to the cars passing on the street, the squirrels running up the trees, and the children playing in the front yards.

As Ally ran forward, everything around her seemed to go by her at sixty miles per hour. Ally thought of it as all of her current stressors in life soaring past her while she was running towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Running was her ultimate stress reliever, something she preferred instead of overeating, crying into her pillow, or lashing out at everyone around her.

As she continued to run down the sidewalk, the music paused before her ringtone blasted through her earphones loudly, making her jerk them from her ears. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Austin. Pausing her running, she tried to catch her breath while answering the phone.

"Hello." Her greeting was hasty and breathless, this caused her to be greeted with a chuckle. "You alright there, gorgeous," Austin questioned through the phone, and Ally rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips.

"I was just running," Ally admitted, and while Ally couldn't see him, she knew Austin was nodding his head. "Ohh, okay. Well, I have a quick question, then you can go back to your running," Austin responded. Ally let out a single chuckle, waiting for Austin to ask the question.

"So, my family wants to meet you."

At the mention of this, Ally choked on air. "W-what now," Ally stuttered. Austin let out a small laugh. "They've invited you to our grill out this evening," Austin continued, and Ally stayed silent, taking in the information. "Um, o-okay. Sure," Ally reluctantly agreed.

"Okay, gorgeous. I'll pick you up at six," Austin mentioned as the two bid a goodbye. Hanging up, she looked at her phone to see it was currently three o'clock. Clicking the message that included Trish, Leo, and herself, she sent out an SOS.

/

Lester stood in the kitchen, making himself a late lunch when he spotted his daughter out the window, jogging. Yet, as she continued up the drive, she was still jogging. Soon, she busted through the front door and up the stairs.

Lester furrowed his eyebrows before calling out to his frantic daughter. "Ally!" A second later he heard a bang, a yell, and then a response. "Yeah?"

"Can you come here for a minute?"

Ally emerged from the bottom of the staircase seconds later. "Yeah, dad?"

Lester couldn't help but laugh at the expense of his daughter as soon as he spotted her. Standing before him was Ally in the middle of trying to get her shirt over her head, exposing her undershirt, her hair out of a ponytail, and had one shoe on.

"Ally-cat, what are you doing," Lester laughed, and Ally dropped her arms, leaving her shirt hanging around her neck and her hair loosened.

She sent him a sheepish smile. "Austin is picking me up at six to go to a grill out at his house." Lester nodded slowly. "Okay?" He still had no idea why she was running around like a headless chicken. "Dad. His parents want to meet me," She spoke frantically.

Lester let out another loud laugh. "Ally, you'll be fine," Lester soothed upon seeing his daughter's worried facial features. "Dad, what if they don't like me," Ally stressed, fixing her shirt and sitting at the bar across from her dad.

"Ally-cat, they'll love you. I promise," Lester calmed.

"Dad, you can't promise me that. I haven't heard a lot, anything really, about Austin's family."

Lester sighed, leaning his elbows on the counter. "Honey, you've always been so secure of yourself, and while I know you really, really like this boy, I don't want you to lose that part of yourself," Lester admitted. "Just be you. If you do that, they will love you. And that is a promise I can always keep."

Ally smiled, leaning over the counter to kiss her father's cheek. "Thank you, daddy."

Lester grinned, kissing her forehead.

"Anytime, honey."

/

"Okay, what to wear," Leo mumbled to himself, rummaging through Ally's massive closet. "I need something casual, yet cute," Ally explained. Leo hummed. "What could you wear?"

Suddenly, Trish and Ally hear a gasp come from within the closet and they shared a look. "I've got it." They hear Leo exclaim before he walks out of the closet. In his hand is a simple black romper and a gray knitted cardigan. The romper had flowy long sleeves that exposed both of the shoulders when worn. It tightened around the waist and formed into shorts. The cardigan, if worn, would cover her arms for warmth, and her entire romper.

"This is perfect. Not too casual, not too dressy, and it's classy. Perfect for meeting the parents. Plus, if you start to feel uncomfortable or cold, a nice cardigan," Leo preached. Trish nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that would look great. Pair it with black sandals, stud earrings, simple makeup, and your natural, wavy hair," Trish explained. Ally stared at her friends.

"You two have been here ten minutes. Ten minutes! I've been looking for the past hour," Ally cried out. Leo and Trish shared a look before shrugging. "What would do without us? I don't even know how you dress on daily bases," Leo replied.

"With clothes," Ally deadpanned. Her two friends laughed. "Come on chick," Trish spoke, dragging Ally to her bathroom.

/

Ally fidgeted with the end of her romper as she sat upon the couch, waiting for the arrival of Austin. Despite everything she had been told from Austin, her father, and her friends, her confident levels were still down in the dumps. Everything that had happened in the past month or so had taken a major toll on her that she thought she was over, unfortunately, she was thrown back into the chaos.

Hearing the roar of a truck pull into her drive, Ally shot up from the couch and look at herself once more living room mirror, fixing her hair too, what she hoped, perfection. "Ally?"

Ally heard her father call from the top of the stairs, and she looked up, twiddling her fingers. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful, they will love you. Okay? Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, it causes wrinkles, like your old man has," Lester complimented along with his teasing, which gathered a giggle from his daughter.

"Thanks, dad. I won't be home late. I love you," she spoke.

"Okay baby, I love you too. Be careful." Lester bid goodbye to his daughter before returning to his office. Ally turned back to the mirror and closed her eyes before taking a deep, calming breath.

Then the doorbell rang.

Ally reached over to grab her cardigan and phone off the coach before heading to the door. When opening it, Ally couldn't help the smile that overtook her face once seeing her favorite blonde "There's my gorgeous girl," he smoothly complimented, bring her into his embrace while placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Ally blushed, welcoming his familiar scent and warmth, finally feeling as if everything was finally into place. The feeling made her want to never let go causing her to hug tighter, and she even felt a bit of tear threaten the brim of her eyes as she felt all of her stress perish. **(1)**

Austin gently pulled back from the hug, reaching up to cup both her cheeks in his hands. He smiled gently, reaching down to nuzzle his nose with hers. "How's my girl," he softly questioned. He got his answer when Ally took a deep breath while biting her lip as tears surfaced.

His heart broke. Stress was getting the best of her, and he didn't really know how to help other than hold her. "Gorgeous, I hate seeing you cry," Austin grimaced, wiping away a fallen tear. Ally sniffed, pulling away from his touch, wiping away her tears.

"I'm sorry," her voice cracked. "I didn't mean to do this. Just seeing you, I don't know." She trailed off, looking up at the ceiling as if it would magically stop her tears all the while gnawing the hell out of her bottom lip. He was scared she'd draw blood.

He stepped in, pulling her back into him. While he knew she was trying to keep her tears at bay, she couldn't help the trembling and hiccupping. "Just because I hate seeing you cry, doesn't mean I want you to keep it to yourself. Let it out, princess. If it makes you feel better."

Upon hearing this, Austin felt her sobs escape and tears wetting his neck as she curled her face into the crook of it. She gripped his shirt, thinking that maybe it would keep her from falling apart. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she whimpered into his neck softly.

He gripped her tighter. "Gorgeous, there is nothing wrong with you." He pulled back to see her looking like a sad kitten. He hated it. "If you wanna stay in tonight, we don't have to meet my parents."

At the mention of this, she stood taller, wiping her tears. "No, I need something to do. I can't mope."

Austin smiled as she voiced this strongly, her moment of weakness vanishing as if it never happened. "Are you sure, sweetheart," he questioned, once more. She sent him a smile, and while it didn't reach her eyes, he would take it. "Yes, are you ready?"

He smirked, holding out his arm. "Of course, are you ready fine, madam?"

Ally giggled, linking her arm through his. "Why yes, yes I am."

/

As Austin pulled into the drive of his house, while Ally fumbled with her fingers. Cutting the ignition, Austin reached over to place his hand over hers. "Als, calm down. They will love you, I'm sure of it."

"Pshh, what makes you think I'm scared that they won't like me," Ally terribly lied, and Austin gave her a pointed look. Ally let out a sigh before rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. But really, what if they don't."

Austin chuckled, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I promise they will."

Ally took a deep breath as Austin and herself exited the truck. Walking up to the door, Ally noticed the aroma of hamburgers being grilled from somewhere on the property. Ally let Austin open the door for her, and she was immediately hit with different smells, sounds, and sights. Not only did she smell the hamburgers, but she also smelled, what she thought, was apple pie along with fresh laundry from the candle in the corner.

The sounds consisted of kids laughing and screaming, a guitar strumming from the back yard, and music playing from somewhere inside the house. Pictures were displayed all over the living room, some of Austin and some of a young girl she didn't know the name of. Warmth invaded her.

"Your house is so..," Ally trailed off, not knowing a word for it. Austin laughed a little. "Chaotic?' He tried, but she shook her head, smiling.

"No, I really don't have a word for it yet," Ally chuckled lightly, and Austin shook his head in amusement before placing a hand on the center of her back. Leading her through the kitchen and out of opened french, glass doors, she was greeted with the sight of five people chatting in the back yard around a fire pit. "Austin! You have a girl!" A boy around their age, maybe a little younger yelled from his spot on a log. Austin sent him a sarcastic laugh in return. "That's my cousin, Alex." Austin leaned down to whisper in her ear, she nodded while smiling.

An older woman who resembled Austin walked up to the couple, greeting them with a warm smile and an outstretched hand to Ally. Ally smiled shyly, reaching out to shake the woman's hand politely.

"You must be Ally, I'm Austin's mother, Mimi." Mimi introduced herself to the young girl on her son's arm. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Moon. You have a lovely home," Ally complimented, looking around at the massive backyard. Mimi laughed, placing a comforting hand on Ally's arm. "Sweetheart, feel free to call me Mimi and thank you. Make yourself at home," she spoke, and Ally felt herself ease at Mimi's easy going personality.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Austin, I better like this one. Wouldn't want to kick her to the curb,"

Austin felt Ally tense and shot a glare at his father who was at the grill, closing it before making his way over. "Dad, don't scare her," Austin growled, and her father chuckled, reaching out to shake Ally's hand. "I'm just kidding. It's nice to meet you, Ally. I'm Mike Moon, Austin's father. You can just call me Mike, I don't like Mr. It makes me feel old," he jokingly leaned down to whisper in her ear the last part of the sentence.

Ally let out a soft giggle, looking down before nodding. "Austin, offer her a seat and a drink." Mike slapped Austin on the shoulder, before walking back over to the grill. Austin sighed, shaking his head at his father's behavior. "I'm sorry. Would you like a drink," Austin questioned, leading the both of them over to a log to sit. "No, Aus. I'm fine."

He nodded, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"Aussie. Aussie."

Just then, a little girl, no older than six, jumped into Austin's lap. "Hey, Emmy." Austin greeted, reaching down to tickle the small girl. Ally swooned at the sight. "Als, meet my little sister, Emily. We call her Emmy," Austin introduced her, and the little girl crawled into Ally's lap. "Hi!"

Ally giggled, tucking a piece of fallen hair behind her ear before greeting back the young girl. "Hi, cutie."

Emmy giggled before jumping off of Ally and running to her mother.

Ally looked around at all of the commotions. While it was loud, and slightly chaotic, it felt homey. Leaning her head on Austin's shoulder, she listened as Alex strummed the guitar while humming a melody.

"See, I told you they would like you," Austin whispered. Ally smiled, moving to rest her chin on his shoulder and looking him in the eyes.

"I know a word to describe your house now," Ally told, and Austin raised his eyebrows in question.

"Homey."

She rested her head comfortably on his shoulder once again, sinking into his side.

"This is the perfect definition of a home."

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed. I'm extra tired. I'm so sorry this author's note sucks, lol.**

 **(1) Do you all know that feeling when you see that one person, and you just want to cry as soon as you see them. That's what she felt like.**

 **Have a good day!**

 **God Bless!**

 **~Meg**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys! I apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I didn't realize how long it had been since I last updated. Plus, I think I've been experienceing some writer's block, I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't know how to put it on the page. Anways, you guys have waited long enough. I hope you enjoy chapter ten!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize**

 **NOT EDITED**

* * *

 _Previously on "Getting the Girl"_

 _Ally looked around at all of the commotions. While it was loud and slightly chaotic, it felt homey. Leaning her head on Austin's shoulder, she listened as Alex strummed the guitar while humming a melody._

 _"See, I told you they would like you," Austin whispered. Ally smiled, moving to rest her chin on his shoulder and looking him in the eyes._

 _"I know a word to describe your house now," Ally told, and Austin raised his eyebrows in question._

 _"Homey."_

 _She rested her head comfortably on his shoulder once again, sinking into his side._

 _"This is the perfect definition of a home."_

/

Austin watched silently as she stood with her nose pressed against the glass window, watching the thunderstorm and laughing at something his cousin had said aloud from the kitchen. She was like a little girl at times, and that was one of his, out of many, favorite things about her. Each time she spotted the lightning, her eyes would widen then she would smile in amazement.

She looked content. Out of all of the trails she had been facing, he felt fortunate enough to get to see her like this. Curious and amazed.

Picking a throw blanket off the back of the sofa, Austin walked over behind her, draping the cover over her shoulders and letting his arms follow suit. He felt her relax into his embrace and he smiled at her natural reaction. This is where he wanted to be, right her with her wrapped in his embrace. He imagined that his arms could simply protect her from everything the outside world threw at her, and while they both knew that could never happen, it never hurt to dream.

He felt her chuckle and he raised his eyebrow in curiosity. Leaning down, he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"What are you laughing at, gorgeous?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing in particular. I'm just really happy at the moment," she admitted, and Austin smiled against her neck. Pulling away, he kissed the back of her head.

"While I'm glad you are enjoying it, even if we didn't really have a grill out because of the sudden thunderstorm," Austin chuckled, and Ally smiled.

"No, it's okay. It felt nice to have a family dinner, I've never really had one before," Ally confessed, and Austin furrowed his eyebrows. "You've never had a family dinner," Austin questioned, and Ally nodded.

"Nope. Since my dad is a lawyer, he has never had any time for a family dinner when he comes home from work considering he gets in late," Ally explained, jumping at the sudden roll of thunder from the sky.

Austin nodded slowly. "Well, I'm glad you got to experience one with us."

Ally grinned, remembering the dinner she shared with the Moon's prior to now. It was everything a family dinner should be. Laughter spread throughout the family as they shared the latest details of their life, catching up and reminiscing on old memories. It was comfortable and inviting, never once did Ally feel out of place or uneasy. They actually were able to tolerate each other for more than twenty minutes at a time, all in the same room at the same table, never avoiding one another like the plague. It was something Ally wished she experienced on an everyday basis.

Mimi watched from afar at the couple standing at the window, watching the current downpour. Smiling to herself, she felt her heart swell at the sight of her son so captivated by the exquisite brunette wrapped in his arms.

His full attention was on her and only her, observing every move she made all the while listening attentively to every word that fell from her lips. His eyes were hooded as he scanned over her face, taking in every sort of detail he could pinpoint. His arms were secure around her waist, careful to not hurt her, but making sure that she knew she was protected and sheltered.

Feeling a pair of arms wrap around her waist, Mimi smelled her husband's cologne embrace her senses. "Why are you spying on them?"

Mimi chuckled, reaching up to grip his hands in hers. "I'm not spying, I'm admiring. Look at him, he is so absorbed by her," Mimi acknowledge, and she felt Mike nod. "He admires her the way I admire you," Mike whispered in her ear, and Mimi blushed. After eighteen years of marriage, she still couldn't control the color that rushed to her cheeks at his sweet sayings.

"I think he is in love with her," Mimi murmured as she watched Austin chuckle along with his girlfriend at something outside.

"I think so too, but he has to figure that out on his own," Mike clarified, and Mimi nodded in agreement.

/

Ally pulled into the school parking lot, watching in front of her as all the students of Miami High strolled sluggishly across the front of the campus. The majority of them still looking as if they were half asleep while trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, making their way to their destinations. Switching off her ignition, Ally removed herself from her car before bending down to retrieve her car keys and cell phone. Shutting the door while turning around, someone who wasn't paying attention to where they were going ran into Ally at full force causing her to be shoved harshly against the side of her car door.

Before she could manage to shout at the rude peer, she felt an odd sensation take over her mental state.

 _He pushed her back into the door._

 _She went to gasp in shock but wasn't able to as his lips covered hers. Her eyes widened and panic coursed its way through her body, making her chest tighten. Ally placed her dainty hands on his chest, trying to push him off of her, but was unsuccessful in her current state._

 _His hands roamed, his kisses were harsh and forceful, and he pushed her back into the door frame so hard that she felt pain make its way through her shoulder blades. She squirmed against him and the doorway, grunting in protest to his actions._

 _He pulled away and gripped her hair, forcefully pushing her head back to hit the door hard enough to disorient her vision and focus._

" _Shut the fuck up Dawson, I've wanted this for some time now. Nothing's stopping me," he claimed, pushing against her again and forcing his lips back on hers. Tears filled her eyes as he gripped her roughly on her hips, hard enough to leave bruises through her layers of clothing._

Ally gasped, leaning down to grip her head in her hands as she suddenly became dizzy. Tears threatened her eyes, not understanding what was happening to her.

"Als?"

Ally jumped at the sudden sound of her name, looking up she spotted Dez and Shane staring at her in concern. Looking around, she noticed that everyone had already made their way inside the building, successfully clearing the parking lot of any activity.

Dez immediately looked panicked at her state. Walking to crouch in front of her, he placed his hands gently on her shoulders. Ally flinched at the sudden touch.

 _He gripped the hem of her cheer uniform, ripping it to expose her stomach and he took the advantage of letting his hands travel up further. More tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled against him, thinking of any way to escape. Ally let her eyes wander around the room, hoping to spot something for a defense._

 _Noticing a desk almost within arm's reach, she closed her eyes tightly and raised her injured knee to aim for the reproductive organs. She let out a yelp, along with him as she felt pain shoot up her leg from her knee cap. He fell to his knees, a groan escaping his mouth._

Letting out a small sob, Ally let herself collapse towards the ground trying to remove the grip on her shoulders. Any touch felt as if it was suffocating her. Any touch was _him._

Dez jumped back, startled by his friend's sudden breakdown.

"Shane, find Austin. Now," Dez ordered, and Shane nodded sprinting towards the entrance of the schoolhouse. Crouching back down in front of her, Dez made sure to keep all physical touch away from her.

"Al, you're okay. It's Dez, can you tell me what's going on."

Dez tried getting any information out of the frightened brunette who seemed to be just as clueless as him.

 _Being quick with her actions, Ally reached over to grab a lap that sat on top of the desk. Wrapping her hand around it, she wasted no time bashing the object over his head. The sounds of glass shattering and his heavy form hitting the floor filled the bedroom._

 _Ally stared only for a second at the unconscious body until quickly snapping out of her trance. She hastily made her way to the door, opening it to be met once again with the loud, obnoxious music that she hadn't heard prior to entering the room. The room must have been soundproof._

"No, no, no," Ally whimpered, gripping her head tighter. Unbelievable fear paralyzed her, making her blood run cold. Her chest tightened, her vision blurred, and her head spun. Flashback after flashback flooded her mind. Her heart raced and tears were streaming rapidly down her cheeks. No matter how vided the flashbacks were, she couldn't recall the face. She couldn't understand why. It was like it was blank.

/

Austin sat comfortably in an office chair, his feet propped up on the counter as he scrolled through the latest Instagram feed. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Mrs. Porter mentioned that she was going to for usual coffee break after morning announcements.

Clicking himself off social media, Austin checked to see if Ally had texted him back from earlier this morning before he arrived at school. Having no missed message from her, he began to grow a bit paranoid as he re-read their latest conversation.

 _I definitely have an obsession with your mother's apple pie now! ~ Als_

 _Well good morning to you too, gorgeous. Did you already eat the leftovers she sent home with you, lol? ~ Aus_

… _no. ~ Als_

 _You totally did! You liar. Lying gets you in very bad predicaments, gorgeous ;) ~ Aus_

 _Oh hush, it was amazing. I could live off of it. And where would lying get me exactly ;) ~ Als_

 _I don't think that would be healthy… Also, keep lying and you'll find out ;) ~ Aus_

 _Eh, maybe I will. Plus, I could just jog an extra two miles on my runs ~ Als_

 _Lol. Alright, Als. Whatever floats your boat, but don't say I didn't warn you. ~ Aus_

 _Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, lol. I'll see you when I get to school, talk to you later ~ Als_

 _Alright, gorgeous. Be careful ~ Aus_

 _Always! xoxo ~ Als_

Austin wasn't positive if she was running late, or if she had just forgotten to text him back. Normally the situation of her not returning his texts never bothered him, but under these circumstances, it did.

The sound of the office door opening brought him out of his fret as he turned to identify who it was. Leo and Trish walked in, laughing at something he assumed happened before the entered the office. Austin looked behind the duo, hoping to spot Ally.

"Oh, hey Aus," Trish greeted, picking up a pen to sign in. "Hey guys, have either of you seen Ally this morning," Austin questioned, walking over to insert their names onto the attendance list. Trish and Leo shared a questioning glance before turning back to Austin.

"No, we haven't seen her this morning. The last time we talked to her was yesterday before she went over to yours," Leo exclaimed, looking confused. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Austin was quick to explain his worry, hoping to ease their concern, but in reality, it had only made it worse.

"So, the last time you heard from her was over an hour ago, and she was leaving for school," Leo confirmed, and Austin nodded. "It doesn't take an hour to get from here to her house, what the hell is taking her so long," Trish quizzed quietly beneath her breath. Both males shrugged curiosity and worry consuming their thoughts.

Silence filled the room but was soon interrupted by the sound of the office door being opened abruptly. The three jumped in surprise, turning to see Austin's teammate, Shane, standing at the doorway out of breath.

"Guys, something is wrong with Ally," he managed to voice, and Austin felt his heart drop as the three followed Shane.

/

"Ally, please. You are scaring the shit out of me," Dez pleaded with the brunette gently under his breath. She had been hyperventilating and panicking for the past ten minutes now, and she wouldn't let him close enough to help her cope.

"Dez? What the hell are you doing?"

Dez jumped up quickly, turning around to glare at none other than Dallas Harris. "Dallas."

"Dez, why is Ally on the ground about to pass out," he questioned, stepping closer to her in order to help. Dez felt his body go rigid, preparing to defend, not only his friend, but his best friend's girlfriend against someone he had lost all respect for after the fight between Austin and Dallas took place.

"Dallas, you need to leave."

Dallas furrowed his eyebrows at the red head. "Dez, Ally is having a panic attack on the ground behind you. Why in the hell are you standing here, arguing with me," Dallas growled, moving to step towards Ally once again?

Placing his hands out, Dez placed them on Dallas's shoulders, his glare hardening. "I'm well aware of what is going on behind me. I'm handling it, go away and leave her alone," Dez bidden, and Dallas stared back at him. Not backing down, Dallas challenged him.

"What is this, some kind of sick guy code Austin and you have? Not letting me touch his girl even when she's hysterical? Is this some kind of respect thing? What the hell, let me help her," Dallas directed, and Dez blocked her from his view.

"Yes, Dallas. As a matter of fact, it is some kind of respect thing. You can't seem to keep your hands off of her for some sick reason, so therefore, I'm not letting you anywhere near her. Besides, she doesn't want to be touched right now as it is, so I'm respecting her wishes," Dez responded, placing both of his hands on Dallas's chest, daring him to fight back.

Both boys stood in the middle of the parking lot, glaring at each other, challenging the other one to fight back.

"Dez!"

Dez turned at the sound of Austin's voice to see him sprinting quickly towards the three. Alarm coursing through him as he saw his best friend and Dallas blowing up at each other in pure anger.

However; upon seeing Ally, his focus was solely on her in an instant. Shocked to see her up against her car side in a ball.

"Ally?" Austin crouched down, reaching out to smoothly pull her into him, but her body went stiff and she immediately pulled away from his touch. He felt hurt course through him.

"Austin, she isn't letting anyone touch her."

Austin took in Dez's word, and he racked his eyes over her to try to figure out the current problem, but the more he stared, the more he realized that it was her mental position. She was having a mental breakdown in the middle of the parking lot.

"Gorgeous, it's Austin. Come here, please," Austin coaxed softly into her ear, moving as close as he could get to her without her going ballistic. Trying out slowly, he ran his fingertips lightly up and down her arm.

Her body tensed once more before relaxing at the touch, finally realizing that it was going to bring her no harm. "Come here, Als. I'm not going to hurt you."

Leo and Trish stood back, watching as the scene unfolded before their eyes. Their best friend was currently cradled against her car, Dallas and Dez still glared at one another, all the while watching Austin trying to coax Ally into his arms.

Leo actually would have laughed if he wasn't worried about the mental stability of his best friend. He knew Ally wasn't aware of anything she was doing, but once she came back to reality, she sure as hell was going to regret this. The mere thought made Leo want to clench his stomach in laughter.

Austin was able to place one hand on her arm, then another before he pulled her into his lap completely. Safely securing her into his chest as she sobbed into his shoulder. Leaning his back up against the car, Austin cradled Ally like he would a toddler, and glared at Dallas.

"I want you out of here," he growled, fully aware of his presences.

"I'm just checking on her, Moon."

"I don't give a crap what you are doing, I want you to go. Now."

Dallas went to argue, but Shane and Dez shook their head. "Come on, Dal. We are already late for first anyway," Shane acknowledge, and while Dallas wasn't happy about the outcome, he left anyway.

Leo and Trish watched as they walked away before turning back to the couple sitting on the ground, Ally still not removing herself from Austin. Leo was the first to slowly walk towards the two before sitting down on the pavement, carefully placing a soothing hand on Ally's back. Trish followed suit, sitting on the opposite side of the couple before reaching to grab Ally's hand and intertwining Ally's fingers with her own.

Ally soon settled down into the arms of her comforting friends, calming herself as she was consoled by three people she loved dearly. Pulling her face from the crook of Austin's neck, she leaned back to take everything in that had happened in the last fifteen minutes or so. Although it felt longer.

While she felt calm, she didn't dare crawl out of Austin's lap or let go of Trish's hand. Reaching blindly for Leo's hand, Leo was quick to grip her free palm in his, reassuring her that he was there.

"Gorgeous, what just happened?" Austin whispered, reaching up to wipe the remaining tears that had fallen from her eyes. Ally sniffed, leaning her head on Austin's chest.

"I-I got out the car when I arrived, bu-but once I closed the door, someone in a rush accidentally pushed me against the car forcefully," Ally went to explain, her voice cracking. "I don't know really what happened, but all of a sudden I started to get these weird flashbacks," Ally whispered.

Austin felt his eyes widened, vaguely remembering her telling him someone had pushed her against a door or a wall the night of the party.

"Als, what were the flashbacks about," Austin questioned, a bit more urgent.

"About me being as-assaulted by someone. They forced themselves on me, I couldn't do anything, and I felt fuzzy. They uttered some words, and they ripped my clothing. I managed to free on of my hands to grab a vase on a desk before hi-hitting them over th-the head. I managed to es-escape but that was it," Ally breathed her explanation, fatigue, and exhaustion hitting her at full force.

"Do you remember seeing a face," Trish asked cautiously, and Ally shook her head. Her lip wobbled. "No, for some reason, I couldn't see who he was," Ally whimpered, and Austin sighed, pulling her into his chest after kissing her forehead.

"Gorgeous, I'm gonna take you home. Okay? You need to rest," Austin recommended, picking her up before she could refuse. Luckily for him, she didn't.

"We are gonna come," Trish spoke, and Leo nodded.

"Yeah, Trish rode here with me, so she can drive Ally's car home for her," Leo stated, and Austin nodded silently. He felt Ally's breathing start to even out.

"Alright, I'll meet you guys there."

/

Austin sighed, watching Ally sleep soundly, tucked under her blankets safely. Leo sat in her desk chair, spinning around and around in circles while Trish ordered pizza on the phone. Although, as soon as she hung up, she turned to the boys.

"We need to get this shit figured out, and we need to figure it out soon."

The boys locked eyes before turning back to the feisty Latina.

"I agree. I miss my best friend. She's in hell," Leo stated, looking at her sleep figure. Austin sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know, I know. But I honestly don't know what the hell to do. No one saw Ally getting assaulted at the party, there is no evidence on who it could be, and while all of this shit is going on, Kira is being a classic A bitch."

Leo waved his hand. "Don't worry about that slut. I can make her sing like a cannery. She doesn't want to mess with me," Leo announced, uplifting their spirits.

"Who in the hell could have attacked her at the party," Trish murmured, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her hands. Austin concentrated on the thought, and Leo shrugged.

"I think it was Dallas."

Both Trish and Austin shot their gaze over to the male who was casually spinning in the desk chair once again. Trish slowly nodded.

"Maybe, he has had an issue with keeping his hands off of her, plus he was the one who forced her to drink," Trish reminded, and Austin glared at the wall.

"I don't know. He is a great possibility, but the bastard seems to care too much for her," Austin grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose in hopes to relieve an oncoming headache.

Trish sighed, sitting on the edge of Ally's bed. "I don't know, maybe we are over thinking this. I mean, Ally was going to receive those forgotten memories at some point, it was only a matter of time. Before Kira started being a bitch, Ally seemed to slowly be getting over the assault," Trish prompted.

Austin couldn't be sure as to why, but he felt anger churn in his stomach the words of his girlfriend's best friend. "Are you saying that it isn't a big deal because this is obviously a huge deal? We can't just forget the fact that Ally was sexually assaulted, because as much as we'd all like to forget, Ally went through it," Austin snapped, and Trish's eyes widened.

"No, Austin, that isn't what I'm saying. What I'm saying is, is that sometimes when things like this happen, some people don't ever find out who their attacker was. Maybe we should stop digging and let it lay at rest, for Ally's sake."

"News flash, Trish. We can't just let it lay at rest, the entire damn school knows, there is still an investigation going on, and she is still clearly bothered by it," Austin argued, not agreeing with the points Trish was making.

"I don't think we can really forget about it in Ally's situation," Leo spoke up, watching the argument unfold. "Even if we would all like to, even Ally, we have to remember that everyone at Miami High was at that party just about. Ally's attacker could be anyone, someone that she interacts with every day. She could still be in danger."

Everyone tensed in the room. That fact was something everyone had thought about once or twice but had never thought about speaking about it.

Austin clenched his fist, rage building in his chest. The room was quiet, along with everyone in it, and it stayed that way until Ally tossed under the covers before coming too.

Opening her eyes, Ally was met with her three best friends staring back at her. Furrowing her eyebrows, Ally slowly sat up in the bed.

"You guys are kind of creeping me out," Ally admitted, tilting her head as she waited for them to break their stare. Leo chuckled, reaching over to pat her leg that was beneath the covers.

"Bout time you wake up, chick. I thought you died," Leo joked, easing the tension in the room. Ally chuckled lightly, running her fingers through her tousled hair.

"Can't get rid of me that easily, Leo. Sorry to break it to ya."

Austin let out a sigh of relief at the sound of her joking tone.

"Damn, I want you out of the picture so I can have a piece of your boyfriend," Leo grumbled.

Ally and Trish let out a laugh at Leo, once again, hitting on Ally's boyfriend. Austin rolled his eyes wholeheartedly, still not finding the words to reply whenever Leo hit on him.

"Don't you ever feel jealous that Leo hits on me?" Austin chuckled. Ally chuckled, going to answer, but Leo butted in.

"Come on. I'm the gay best friend. If I don't hit on my girl's fellas, then I don't approve. Feel lucky," Leo advised, winking at the blonde male.

They all shared a laugh. And for once they didn't dwell on their current life stressors. They were all just best friends gossiping and laughing in a single bedroom. Feeling normal.

* * *

 **There you go! The finished result of chapter ten!**

 **I don't know how I feel about this chapter, it seems to be all over the place, but maybe it is just because I haven't written on this story in a while.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Happy Summer!**

 **God Bless!**

 **~Meg**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 is finally here! It was a long time in the making, I promise I haven't been sitting on my butt!**

 **So many problems have come with this chapter. I kept losing parts, over and over again! Then I got a new laptop, and it wouldn't cooperate. Then, I had horrible writer's block. I knew what I wanted to write, but I couldn't put it into words.**

 **Anyways, enough excuses. This is an EXTRA LONG chapter for you guys! It's over 4,000 words. I think the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **THIS IS NOT EDITED.**

 **I DON'T OWN ANYTHING YOU MAY RECOGNIZE.**

* * *

/

Ally felt her heart clench in eagerness. Nervousness coursed through her body along with adrenaline.

Pulling her windbreaker tighter to her body for warmth, she shivered in the bitter cold. The further into the season it got, the colder Friday nights became. However, the cold wasn't what she cared about as she stared at the football field in front of her.

Down by a touchdown in the fourth quarter with five seconds to go, Miami High had to be extremely smart and cautious with their next decision.

"So, what's going on?" Leo came to view from the left side of Ally, sipping from his water bottle. As if on cue, Trish came behind Leo to slap him on the back of the head. "Have you not been paying attention to the game? We could lose, we are hanging on by a thread," Trish explained to Leo as if he were a child.

Leo causally shrugged, watching the teams on the sidelines in a timeout, no doubt discussing their next play. "Usually I would be paying attention, waiting for Ally to call the next cheer, but she is over here looking as if she is about to piss her pants. Plus, I've just been appreciating the guys' asses in their football pants, as I do every time I get the chance too."

Trish and Ally gave Leo a blank stare, and Leo sipped his water while raising an eyebrow. Ally shook her head, turning her attention back to the field where the players were getting into position. Bringing her thumb up to her mouth, she started to bite at her nail.

"I swear, they better not be stupid. We are so close," Ally muttered, to absorbed with what could happen next to pay any mind to the people around her. While Ally saw Trish nod in agreement out of the corner of her eye, she also saw Leo wink at a team member on the bench.

With a third down and goal, Ally could only pray that they made it across the goal line to score. However, the defense of the opposing team was relentless, giving Miami High a run for their money.

Bending into place, Ally watched carefully as the center snapped the ball to Austin. Receiving the ball, Austin sprang into action, backing up to bring the wide receiver, Shane, into motion discreetly with the stomping of his right foot.

Shane seized the ball from Austin's hands before running to the other side of the field.

Ally swung her arm down to clutch Trish's in apprehension. The entire stadium as oddly silent, watching the play unfold before them. Ally observed as Austin ran a route pass the goal before Shane passed it perfectly into Austin's hold.

Ally felt her eyes widened, screaming as she jumped up and down on her feet, waving her arms like a mad-man. Many other's followed suit, cheers erupting throughout the crowd behind her.

A smile etched across Ally's face as she heard their band play their fight song, and she turned towards her cheer team. "Alright, everyone line up!"

Ally keep an eye on their kicker as she danced, feeling joy as the player kicked it beautifully through the goal, knocking their score up by a point and sending them into overtime.

As the song ended, Trish and Ally turned to each other, gripping hands as they squealed.

"And that sends up into overtime folks. Dolphins' offensive and Manatees defensive. Who will be the first too score?"

The teams took the field, the Dolphins' center gripped the ball as he readied himself.

"Down, set, hut."

The center snapped the ball into the hands of the opposing team's quarterback. Dropping back, the quarterback throws a deep pass to a covered wide receiver. Dallas, the corner back for Miami High, jumped mid-air along with the wide receiver, after a mini tug-a-war with the ball, Dallas comes down with the ball safely in his hands.

Ally gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "O my God!"

"Miami High's ball! First and 10!"

"Time out!" Coach Brown yelled forcefully from the sidelines, his first of two. Restlessness along with exhilaration could be felt from the entire stadium, antsy to see who would score the final point.

"Break."

It took two minutes for Coach Brown to explain the play before the boys returned to the field. Ally, Trish, and Leo clutched each other's hands, waiting for, what they hoped to be, the final play of the night.

Getting into position, Ally heard Austin call out. "Down."

However, after the single word, Austin reached out to tap Dez on the back. Pulling back, Dez handed Austin the ball, and Ally watched closely in confusion as he walked towards the sidelines.

"Wrong ball! Wrong ball!"

Rising her eyebrows, Ally grew curious. Looking back out towards the rest of their offense, Ally noticed that they were cautiously taking position while the opposing team relaxed.

It wasn't until Austin was suddenly running down a clear field with no one to block him that Ally realized that they pulled a trick play. Ally felt her mouth drop, feeling relief and excitement rush through her all at once.

Cheering aloud, Ally began to resume her jumping and waving.

"There ya go, Austin!"

"Atta boy!"

"Go, Moon Go!"

Yells and cheers were heard everywhere as Austin crossed the goal line, scoring them the final point in order to win the game. Ally squealed along with Leo and Trish before the entire cheer squad joined them on the field.

Crowds of people formed fast on the field, waiting for the football players and cheerleaders to be done with expressing sportsman ship by shaking hands.

As the line ended, Ally spotted Austin only seconds before she threw herself at her, her body still running off enthusiasm.

"Ahh! That's was so freaking amazing!"

Austin laughed, spinning her around before placing her back on the ground. Removing his helmet, he shook out his sweat covered locks as Ally grimaced.

"Ew."

Austin rolled his eyes whole heartedly, bending down to press a firm kiss on her lips. Pulling away with a bright smile, Ally felt her heart fluttered.

"We are so going to championships," he exclaimed, and Ally smiled at his readiness. "If you guys keeping playing like that, no doubt about it," she encouraged. He grinned, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

The wind blew harshly making Ally's teeth chatter unintentionally. Austin frowned at her lack of clothing, the only the providing her warmth was her thin, cheer jacket.

"My dad drove my truck up here and is riding back down with my mom. Do you want to ride home with me?" Austin offered, moving a curl behind her ear. She pondered over the idea. Did she really want to spend two and a half hours on a cold, uncomfortable bus back to the school? Or ride home with Austin and the warmth?

"I'll ride home with you," she shook. Austin nodded, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, hoping to provide her with heat. "Alright gorgeous. Go sign out and I'll meet you over there, okay?"

Ally nodded, and Austin leaned down to kiss her once more before running off towards the locker room.

Jogging over to the sidelines, she gathered her stuff before making her way to the bus. On the way over, she bumped into Mimi and Mike.

"Hey, sweet girl," Mimi greeted, pulling Ally into a hug. Ally smiled, squeezing her. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Moon," she greeted, and Mike scoffed, pulling her into a hug as well.

"Girl, what have I told you about that. Call us Mimi and Mike," he ordered, and Ally smiled, nodding.

"Austin still in the locker room," Mimi questioned, and Ally nodded.

"Yes ma'am, he sent me over to sign out and head to his truck," Ally informed, and Mimi smiled. "You are riding home with him," Mike interrogated, and Ally shrunk, suddenly uncomfortable with spilling that information.

"Yes, sir," she answered timidly, and Mimi popped her husband on the chest. "Mike, leave the poor girl alone. I doubt she would want to ride on a cold bus for two hour and a half hours anyways," Mimi scolded, and Mike chuckled.

"I'm just messing, sweetheart," he comforted, and Ally visibly relaxed. Mike dug in his pocket before pulling out, what she assumed was, Austin's keys. "Here's his keys, you two be careful. I know you two will be home late," Mike told, and Ally nodded.

"Yes, sir. You two be careful as well," she addressed, and they nodded before heading to the parking lot.

It didn't take long for Ally to sign out and make her way to Austin's truck.

Austin's truck was parked in a darker area of the parking lot, and Ally opened the back doors of the truck to place her gym bag in the back seat. Shutting the truck doors, Ally turned around only to realize a scream at Dallas in front of her.

Dallas jumped, not meaning to startle her. Ally's scream echoed and she placed her hand upon her chest.

"I'm sorry, Al. I didn't mean to scare you that bad," Dallas apologized, and Ally gasped to catch her breath, shaking her head. "It's fine. I've just been extra jumping lately," Ally admitted, and Dallas nodded.

Ally looked around the area, hoping for Austin to come around the corner. "So, um, whatcha need," Ally voiced, fiddling with the pony tail on her wrist.

"Just checking up on ya, after the Monday before last, when you had that panic attack in the parking lot. Kinda freaked me out," Dallas carefully declared, and Ally nodded. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Was it because of what happened at my party," Dallas suspected, and Ally felt her chest tighten. "Um, ye-yeah," she stuttered.

"I've never really gotten to ask you, but how have you been after that," Dallas grilled. Ally gulped, "I-I'm good. I'm getting over it, slowly but surely, but it's still a sensitive topic," Ally explained, and Dallas nodded, stepping closer causing Ally to step backward until her back hit the truck.

"Um, um. If you d-don't mind, I should go see where Austin is," Ally tried, her breath quickening.

"Are you alright," Dallas quizzed, reaching out to touch her arm. Ally jumped, closing her eyes as tears sprung.

Dallas stepped closer.

"Dallas, please."

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Dallas quickly stepped away from the obviously uncomfortable brunette, turning to spot Mike Moon sending daggers his way. "I'm just checking on her," Dallas tried, and Mike stepped closer, his glare not falling.

"I don't care what you were doing. She was obviously uncomfortable. You better leave before I handle you," Mike threatened, and Dallas straightened.

"Al-alright."

It didn't take long Dallas to book it towards the buses. Mike turned his son's girlfriend who was currently trying to calm herself.

"Ally, dear, are you alright? Was he bothering you," Mike questioned, careful to not step closer to her in case of a trigger. Ally took a deep breath, "no, no. He was just checking on me. I'm just, I'm fine. Really," Ally confirmed.

Mike hesitated, and Ally reassured him.

"Mike, really. I'm fine. I promise. And could we not tell Austin about this," Ally asked him, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"Because he isn't crazy about Dallas, and I really don't want him worked up over something like that. He is just better off not knowing," Ally defended, and Mike gazed down at her, silently questioning her actions.

"Alright, if that's what you want. But if he bothers you again, you need to tell someone," Mike ordered, and while Ally really wanted to argue against the fact that he was bothering her, she was too exhausted to do so.

"Yes, sir. I promise. How come you came over here," Ally asked.

"I heard you scream."

Ally nodded, and they stayed silent until Austin showed. "Hey, sorry I took so long. Mom loves to talk," Austin exclaimed, and Ally smiled lightly. "It's alright, son. I was keeping her company until you arrived, you two be safe," Mike spoke, and Austin smiled to her dad before Mike returned to Mimi.

"Ready, gorgeous," Austin acknowledged, and Ally smiled before he opened the door for her to climb in. Ally climb into the truck, and watched as Austin made his way to the driver side. Reaching into the back, Austin pulled a blanket, passing it to her.

"Here, it'll take a few minutes to warm up," Austin explained. Ally nodded, leaning back into the seat while curling into the blanket. They weren't even out of the stadium parking lot before Ally let sleep over take her.

/

Austin focused solely on the interstate before him, but couldn't stop himself from looking over at the sleeping brunette in his passenger seat. She looked peaceful, and he enjoyed it.

Looking up at the dash board, he mentally groaned at seeing the time. It was a little past midnight, and they were still an hour from home. Rain was falling heavily across the tristate area, and according to the weather updates, it wasn't stopping until morning. Due to the weather, traffic was backed up immensely, and Austin was sure at this rate, they weren't getting home until three in the morning.

Austin shook his head, stifling a yawn in order to keep himself awake. Squinting his eyes, Austin tried hard to focus on staying between the yellow lines on the interstate, all the lights glaring off the falling rain made it difficult to see.

Silence filled the car, the only sound being Ally's soft snores from the passenger side. However, it didn't last long when Austin's ringtone blared loudly. Cursing lowly, Austin quickly grabbed the device and answered before it could wake Ally.

"Hey honey, how much long until you two are home." Austin heard his mother's voice ring out through the speaker, and he looked at the exit signs they were passing. "Ma, I don't know. The weather is bad, the traffic is even worse," Austin explained, and he heard her sigh. "I was afraid this would happen. Why don't you two just pull into a hotel for the night? You both looked exhausted earlier, and I don't think it is safe for either of you to drive," Mimi suggested, and Austin looked over at Ally once more before agreeing.

"Yeah, we could do that."

"Okay honey. Will transfer some money to you, you two be careful. Keep me updated. Oh, and Austin?"

"Yes ma'am?" he questioned, confused by her sudden change of tone. "I better not be a grandmother this young, do you understand?"

Austin felt his eyes widened, and choked a bit on air. "Mom!"

He heard her laugh loudly, but he could tell she was serious. "Okay, okay. Mom, I'll see you in the morning. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight, talk to you two in the morning."

Hanging up the phone, Austin pulled into the next exit. Hearing a slight bit of ruckus, he looked over to see Ally waking up. "What's going on," she yawned, looking around.

"My mother thinks it would be better for us to pull into a hotel tonight. Is that okay?"

Ally nodded, reaching into the backseat to grab her cell. "Leo said the bus pulled over for the night too. Bless their hearts." Ally giggled, and Austin chuckled thinking of all of the people on that bus.

"Well, aren't you glad you rode with me," Austin winked, and Ally smiled while blushing. "Eh," she shrugged. "Ha. Ha." Austin deadpanned, and Ally giggled. Pulling into a hotel by the name of Seaside Resort, Austin dropped Ally off under the awning. Watching as she went inside to book a room, Austin drove around to find a parking spot before grabbing both of their bags.

As Austin walked through the entrance, he saw Ally receiving the room key from the receptionist.

"We are on the second floor, room 406," Ally informed as she turned towards him. He nodded, ignoring the googly eyes the young, receptionist was shooting his way. As they reached their room, Ally giggled. Austin raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Seems like you catch every eye in the room, superstar." Ally winked, reaching up to twine her arms around his neck. He chuckled, leaning down to peck her nose. "The only eye I want to catch is yours."

Ally blushed, kissing his cheek before releasing him to go through her gym bag. Sorting through her clothing items, Ally's eyes widened a slight bit when realizing she only had shorts and a sports bra to sleep in.

Austin had seen her in just shorts and a sports bra before, but this time was different considering they were sleeping in the same room. Shrugging her shoulders, Ally walked into the bathroom to change into her sleep attire. After a few minutes, Ally emerged shyly.

Austin looked up from pulling the sheets on the bed back, his eyes widening when seeing her in only a bra. "Is this okay, I can wear my cheer uniform to-"

Austin cut her off. "Gorgeous, as long as you are comfortable, I'm fine with it."

Ally smiled brightly at him. Walking over to the bed, Ally began to pull back the sheets for her side of the bed. "I can sleep on the floor if you want me too, Als?"

Ally looked up at him. "No, Aus. I'm fine. I trust you."

Austin let a small smile over take his face, reaching across the bed to place a kiss on her lips. "How did I get so lucky?" Ally shrugged playfully. "I don't know. I'm just that awesome," she joked, giggling at herself. Austin rolled his eyes wholeheartedly, kissing her temple before crawling into the bed. As she climbed in, Austin motioned for her to come closer. Curling under Austin's arm, Austin whispered sweet words in her ear until she was sound asleep for the second time that night.

/

 _Ally felt herself being pushed harshly against the door frame, her shoulder blades taking majority of the hit. She groaned in pain before they bashed her head against the door as well. She felt hands gripped her hips, keeping her still as they lowered their mouth to her neck, assaulting the area._

 _She whimpered and squirmed in their grip, but it tightened before they pulled her forward only to slam her, once again, harshly into the door frame. "Please, stop." Tears streamed down her face as she tried to focus on the facial features of her attacker, but it was all a dark blob._

" _Shut up the fuck up Dawson, I've wanted this for a long time. And I'm getting it."_

 _The voice sounded oddly familiar. The hands exploring her body made their way up and down her figure, leaving defenseless as they groped her. Freeing her hands from his grip, he caught them, gripping extremely tight as he twirled her onto the bed. Throwing her, he jumped on her body as soon as she landed. Pushing at his chest, she tried desperately to free herself._

 _Writhing beneath him, Ally was able to free her leg to knee him in the groin. At the sound of pain escaping his lips, Ally brought her hands up to push at his chest. However, her blood ran cold and suddenly, every bone in her body hurt._

" _No, please." She cried._

 _In front of her was none other than Austin Moon._

 _She screamed._

"Ally! Wake up!"

Ally flew up at the sound of someone yelling. Turning, she came face to face with Austin. Letting out a gasp, she pushed herself backwards off the bed. However, before she could fall, Austin caught her.

"Ally, Ally. Hey, calm down. It was just a dream, gorgeous."

Ally's breathing was relentless. Not being able to catch her breath, tears began to fall faster. Austin continued to try to coax her towards him, and while Ally's rational mind knew he would never hurt her, her fear was that he would. And that's all her mind was running on at the moment.

"Baby, please. Come here, I won't hurt you. You know that."

Austin voice was soothing, like he was trying to persuade a child out of a corner. Frightened and shocked, all she wanted was reassurance. As reality returned to Ally, she crawled into Austin's embrace, letting him comfort her.

Austin pulled her into his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist. He buried his face into her neck while combing his fingers through her hair. Not only was he doing this for her comfort, but for his as well, having to calm himself after being awakened by her blood curdling screams. He wasn't going to lie when he said they scared him shitless.

Rocking her back a forth, Austin slowly felt her shivering dissipate. He still felt tears falling on his neck.

While calming her, he wracked his brain to figure out what her nightmare could have been about, and it didn't take him long. He wasn't sure if she was one to have nightmares on the regular, but he wasn't stupid.

After fifteen minutes, Ally pulled back slightly and Austin got a good look at her. Her eyes were puffy from sleep and tears, her eyes popped due to irritation, and her cheeks were tear stained. Overall, she looked extremely exhausted; mentally and physically.

"Hey," he whispered, moving a piece of hair out of her face. She continued to stare at him, and he grew confused.

"Als? Do you want to tell me what happened," he questioned? She sighed, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "I had a dream that-that you assaulted me," Ally admitted, all the while never wanting to again. Austin felt his eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say.

"Als, you know I wouldn't-I would never," Austin stumbled on his words, and Ally leaned her head back up. "I know, Aus. I just- I don't know what happened."

"Have you-have you ever thought that-that it was me," Austin asked, and Ally's face was indescribable. "No, Aus. I haven't, I'm sure it is just an irrational fear. I'm sure it is normal, to picture their partner as their attacker."

Ally tried to make him feel better, however, neither of them felt relieved. Cupping her face, Austin kissed her forehead softly. "You know I care about you, right?" Ally felt a small smile itch at the corner of her lips. "I have no doubt in my mind," Ally replied, kissing his nose while running her fingers through his hair.

Austin leaned back on the bed, Ally on top of him. However, Austin simply covered them with the blanket, and Ally nuzzled her face into his neck, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was comfortable, being wrapped around Austin like a vine, trusting him enough to be this close. His fingers running up and down her back, making his own boundaries with her, for her.

He held her when her insecurities were as sharp as a knife and at every moment they got shaper, he held her even tighter. **(1)**

/

Austin walked through the doors of the high school, his attendance being announced at the slamming of the heavy doors. Most turned to look to identify who was entering and then turned away while some continued to stare. Majority of the girls shot him seductive looks, something that did not please him when he knew, they knew that he was taken.

Ally. The thought of her made him smile, which was surely misinterpreted by the girls shooting him un-Godly looks. After coming home Saturday morning, Ally stayed over at his for the rest of the day, lounging around with his family. She seemed extremely relaxed whenever spending time with them, something he over the moon about.

Austin snapped out of his haze when someone bumped into his shoulder, trying to get to the other end of the hallway.

Groups of people sectioned themselves off within their groups of friends, showing how much their high school was just like any other cliché.

However, the further down he got, the more people there were to a group. Then there was a massive crowed surrounding the area that was his destination. Furrowing his eyebrows, Austin began to push past the people, most murmuring about whatever was happening that he couldn't see.

Yet, when he saw what everyone was staring at, he felt sick. Ally stood with Leo and Trish flanking her sides. All three of them staring at the lockers in front of them, one locker in particular. The one with the words spray painted in red "Slut", the one that happened to be Ally's.

Austin looked back and forth between the locker and Ally, who's mouth was open wide with tears filling her brown eyes. Hot rage rushed through Austin, wanting nothing more than to find the one who did this. However, his main focus was Ally. Pushing through the remaining people in front of him, Austin placed himself in front of her, hoping to block her view.

Ally continued to stare past his shoulder. "Ally," he reached up to grab her face between his hands, desperate to take her attention off the harsh word displayed across her locker. Ally's eyes locked with his. Her chest began to heave and she began to quiver.

"Come on," Austin ordered, bringing her into him while grabbing her head to hide in his shoulder. "I'll take care of this," Leo confirmed, sending a nod towards the trashed locker. Austin nodded, pulling his girlfriend down the hall, away from the crowd of judgement.

Pulling her into a random class room, he immediately pulled her into comfort.

Her body racked with sobs, all her fallen tears soaking his shirt, not that it mattered. Ally pulled away suddenly, wiping her tears with her finger tips. Austin released her, waiting for her to say something.

He was completely baffled when she turned and walked out. Not speaking a word.

/

* * *

 **There! Chapter 11 is now finished, thank heavens!**

 **It felt like I would never finish this chapter, I swear.**

 **This isn't my own writing, it's a quote I found and I had to use it. Normally I don't EVER take anyone's ideas, and if I had the owner of it, I would give credit where it is due. I don't however. I just knew it would fit perfectly there.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Have a blessed day!**

 **~Meg**


	12. Chapter 12

**Two updates within one week! I'm proud of myself, lol. Anyways, I'm extremely tired, so this intro isn't going to be long. This is a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy.**

 **UNEDITED**

 **I DON'T OWN ANYTHING YOU MAY RECOGNIZE**

* * *

Shocked. Scared. Embarrassed.

Speechless.

Many emotions ran through Ally as she sat in front of the principal, ready for the interrogation that was waiting to be given. However, her face was emotionless.

Her tears had stopped the moment she walked away from Austin.

The door to the office opened, revealing Coach Sarah, her face holding pity. Ally despised it.

"How's my girl," Coach Sarah cooed, taking a seat next to Ally in front of the desk. The simple greeting reminded her of Austin.

Ally did not bother to say anything, just staring straight ahead at the principal as he rummaged through papers on his messy desk. Finding what he was looking for, Principal Carter gave Ally his full attention. "Okay, Ms. Dawson. Can you explain to me what happened?"

Ally felt her eyes roll in annoyance. It was the same question(s) that were asked by the police, parents, teachers, and so many other people when she was assaulted. It was the same interrogation, just not as serious, and she knew that this would not be handled completely, just as the one before.

"Ms. Dawson? Can you answer for me," Principal Carter repeated? Ally looked back at her principal. "No, I can't, because quite frankly, I don't really remember what happened. I don't know who did it, I don't know who I think did it. I don't know anything. I've been through all of this before, can I just leave," Ally spoke sharply, not bothering to hide her anger, and both Coach Sarah's and Principal Carter's eyes widened.

"Allison," Coach Sarah warned gently, and Ally twisted her head to look towards her.

"What? It's true. I don't know, and neither does anyone in this entire school. If you want suspects; Kira Star and Brooke Stevens. Your perfect cheerleaders that hate me as their captain and think I'm a slut. Hell, you've heard the word 'slut' come out of their mouth directed towards me, but have you ever done anything?" Ally turned her head to the principal who was shell-shocked, not knowing how to respond to the livid teenager. "I'm so sick of the questions, the investigations, hearing time and time again about how someone will get to the bottom of this. No one gets to the bottom of anything around here."

Ally cut off her rant, reaching down to grab her bag before standing.

"I'll make it easy on you. Leo is cleaning my locker; the mess is gone. I don't give a damn who wrote 'slut' on my locker, just replace the books that were ruined. And lastly, I'm pretty sure you know who did it, but since no one is going to punish them, I quit the team. I'm done."

Ally turned abruptly, storming out of the office and down the hallway.

She was not even half way out of the school before she heard Coach Sarah call out for her.

"Ally, wait. Come on," Sarah pleaded, finally reaching the brunette. Ally turned harshly towards her. "What?"

"You can't just quit. The team needs you, I need you. You are the best captain I've had in years," Coach Sarah claimed, and Ally rolled her eyes for the trillionth time today. She was almost positive that they would roll out of her head soon.

"Really? Cause how many times have you treated me like a kid instead of your captain. Sarah, I'm supposed to be the most trusted team member to you, but you don't even care enough to hear me out or defend me against others."

Sarah opened her mouth but remained speechless. "I told you, I'm done. It's them or me."

Ally threw open her car door, placed herself inside, and left a shocked coach, along with a shocked staff.

/

Austin tried focusing on the play that they were practicing, getting into position. However, the only thought on his mind was where in the hell Ally had been all day. After she walked out on him this morning, he had yet to see her, and he still had another hour until practice was done.

Coach Brown called another route for Austin to run, and Austin groaned, looking down at the watch on his wrist.

"There something wrong, Moon," Shane questioned, catching the ball as they broke for a water break. Austin coughed slightly, the nippy weather captivating his lungs. "It's Ally, after this morning, I haven't seen her," Austin confessed, and Shane nodded in understanding.

"Well, tell coach that you have a family emergency or something," Shane suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, and Austin pondered over the idea before he saw the cheer team coming down to the track.

Austin watched carefully, looking for the brunette captain, but became uneasy when he did not see her. Austin watched as they all sat down, and the coach began to talk to them. Whatever it was couldn't have been good, because Austin watched as Leo and Trish's mouth opened wide.

Walking closer to the bleachers, Austin kept his head down and ears open. "I know some of you will be upset, and it will take me a little while to find a new captain considering…"

Austin felt his heart sink at her statement, Ally had quit the cheer team.

Austin threw down his water bottle and jogged off the field completely. Ignoring the calls from his team mates and coach, Austin grabbed his gym and entered his truck.

/

Pulling up at Ally's, Austin wasted no time storming out of the truck and into the house. Thanking the heavens above that her father wasn't home, he threw open her bedroom door without knocking. Ally jumped from her spot on the bed, looking at the door way at an outraged Austin. Walking in, Austin slammed the door shut.

"What the hell, Ally? You quit the team?"

Ally raised her eyebrows, not sure how-to response and why he was angry. Ally rose slowly off the bed, facing him.

"Because, I don't want to be on that team anymore," Ally admitted, leaving out certain details. "Bullshit."

Ally felt her eyes widened, only hearing Austin curse a handful of times, and majority of the time, it wasn't directed towards her. "You love that team, and you love your friends. Are you going to just let some stupid teenager do that to you and make you quit something you love? That is letting them win, Ally. That is letting them see you fall, and I damn sure know you don't want that," Austin ranted, and Ally felt herself grow angry once again.

"I don't want to be on a team that doesn't do shit for me when I need them! I know who wrote that on my locker, you know who wrote that on my locker. We aren't stupid and neither are they, but they won't do anything, Austin. It's just going to continue," Ally yelled, her voice fading towards the end. She slowly sat down on the bed, tears began to fall down her face.

"God, why am I crying so much lately," Ally exclaimed to no one, quickly wiping the tears off her face.

Austin sighed, his anger beginning to fade. Taking a seat beside her, he let her rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm being bullied, Austin. There is no doubt about it. They know it, I know it, the entire school knows it, but they won't do anything. Brooke and Kira don't want me as their captain, and now they don't have me as one."

Austin still felt anger at her words, but kept them at bay. "Ally, you are letting them take away what makes you happy. I need you on the sidelines, cheering me on. I need you doing what you love," Austin admitted, and Ally looked up at him.

"I'm still going to cheer you on, just from the stands," Ally joked, however, neither of them found it funny. Austin sighed, "Als, you know I'm always for you, never against you. But, I think you are wrong on this one, there has to be something we can do."

Ally removed her head from his shoulder, not bothering to look at him as she walked over to the picture frame that held a picture of the entire cheer team. Picking it up, she admired it silently. "No, there is nothing we can do. It's in their hands now, if they decide to punish Kira and Brooke like they are supposed to, then I'll think about it."

Austin stared at her, just now noticing how upset the rash decision made her. He inhaled, making his way over to her. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he kissed her temple. "I'm sorry, you are right. I-I just know how much you love it."

"I do love it. I love cheering. I love the adrenaline rush I get, the excitement I feel, and I love majority of my team mates. But, it just doesn't seem worth it right now," Ally spoke, her voice in a whisper as she sat her picture down.

/

Ally stared at the crowded stands, a feeling of panic coursing through her. She wasn't used to this. She wasn't used to having to pay to get in or to fight for a seat. She had a spot, on the sidelines.

Or..she used too.

Ally looked over the crowd once again, and she was relieved to find some friends from her chemistry class waving her over. On her way over, she couldn't count on one hand how many times she was bumped into, and she had to grip her purse tighter in order to keep from snapping.

"Hey, Al," they greeted, and Ally smiled, thanking them for saving her a seat. Looking down at the field, Ally froze upon seeing who was in her spot and throwing out orders.

"Okay, get into position, stretch, and be ready for when the guys come out!"

Brooke barked around orders. Brooke Stevens.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," Ally mumbled. At that moment in time, Ally just wanted to leave. However, no matter how angry she was, she was staying to support Austin. She was no longer a cheer leader for the Manatees, she was just a football player's girlfriend.

And, she wasn't sure how she liked that title, no matter who the player was.

It was fourth quarter with two minutes left, and the two teams were currently tied, the opposing team currently had the ball and were 2nd and Goal. Ally sat with her elbows on her knees, currently biting her thumb nail in anticipation.

The two teams got into position before they broke. Moving quickly, Ally watched as Austin stayed near the competing teams' quarterback. As the running back threw, Ally felt her heart jump as Austin reached up to intercept, but it fell as soon as she saw it slipping through his hands into the opposite quarterback's' hands.

"Touchdown Central"

Ally cursed as soon as the timer rang out, announcing the ending of the game. Ally removed herself from the bleacher seats, walking down the stairs and to the field. Making her way down, she spotted Austin with a frown on his face. Stepping towards him, she sent him a sad smile.

"You did great, superstar," she complimented, reaching up to grip his face in her hands. He stared down at her, silent and emotionless. She knew he was angry with himself for that last play, but didn't say anything. Leaning up, she placed a peck on his lips.

"You did great, things happen. It wasn't your fault," Ally consoled. Austin sighed, giving a nod. Ally smiled at his slight agreement, although she knew better, and ran her thumb over his cheek. Lost in their own little world, they failed to notice Dallas' appearance.

"Great going, Moon." Ally snapped her head towards him, a glare immediately surfaced. An odd feeling of protectiveness emerged from within, and she wondered if this was how Austin felt majority of the time with her.

Austin went to say something, but Ally placed a hand on his chest.

"Dallas, you have no room to talk. Last time I checked, he was the one who filled your position of two years, and no matter the mistakes he makes, he still continues."

"Obviously Coach made a mistake, I should still be the quarterback, I would have caught that pass," he replied smartly. Ally raised her eyebrows, "You had two years to show Brown what you could do, however, he still replaced you. You sat on the sidelines the last quarter, must be a low blow going from the quarterback to warming the bench."

Dallas glared, stepping up to the petite brunette, yet Austin was quicker. Stepping in front of Ally, Austin had a grip on Dallas's jersey collar.

"Ohh, now you can defend. You couldn't do it out there?' Dallas teased, his glare never flattering. "You know damn well I don't play around when it comes to her, so if I were you, I'd back off while you have the chance," Austin's threat was deadly, and although Dallas didn't show it, a bit of fear sparked. While his glare didn't decrease, he roughly removed Austin's hands from his shoulders.

Stalking off, Dallas was a good distance away from the couple before he turned back to Ally.

"Must be a low blow going from head cheerleader to only a football players' girlfriend. Don't worry though, you are doing a good job so far," Dallas smirked before turning to head towards the locker rooms.

Austin turned to look at Ally, whose' face had fallen at the sound of his words.

* * *

 **review :))**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	13. Chapter 13

**VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE! PLEASE READ!**

 **Hey, guys, so here is chapter 13 of 'Getting The Girl', however; I've made some changes. Not to the entire story, nor is it anything drastic. It is just the setting time. Throughout the story, you have all been reading that it is around Halloween, going into the month of November, but it is not.**

 **I have no idea why I put that, but I've gone back to edited chapters 1-6 (as of right now) to fix it. The time, month, and season is not mentioned a lot throughout the story, however; it is important!**

 **You do not have to go back and re-read the chapters because I will just tell you, but I have fixed some of them, and I am working on fixing the rest.**

 *****For this chapter, it is currently set in the last week of October! Homecoming week! Halloween is on the following Monday after the game that is mentioned in this chapter, however; it may or may not be mentioned in the next chapter, I do not know. Football season lasts from around the middle of August through the end of November, and if some teams are lucky due to playoffs, the first week of December.**

 **It has been about two months since the assault with Dallas, and two months since Austin and Ally have become official. It is slowly getting cold, due to the weather of Southern Florida.*****

 **I'm extremely sorry about the mix-up, I have no idea what I was thinking. Before posting this story, I had it laid out for a while and forgot the entire concept. Please, stick with me. I'm sorry if this kind of blew your hair back.**

 **On that note; please enjoy!**

 **NOT EDITED  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize.**

* * *

 _Click. Clack. Click._

The sound of Ally and Trish's GoGo boots alerted Leo of their arrival. Turning at the sound, he let out a low whistle. "Damn. I'm a lucky bastard."

The girls laughed. "Oh, Leo. How we love your compliments," Trish spoke. "You know what they say. Behind every confident girl is their gay best friend telling them how fierce they are," Leo informed, they giggled.

As they grabbed their belongings from their locker, Leo offered them each an arm as they traveled down the hallway.

It was finally homecoming week. Homecoming week. The week of the biggest game of the season, against the school's biggest rival. The school's way of celebrating the game is that they have a parade in the middle of their town, a dress up day for each day of the week, and on the night of the big game each football player is to give his jersey to a lucky girl, they then have a homecoming dance right after in the gym.

It was the best week of the entire season. However, Ally enjoyed the entire ordeal because the majority of the week was run by the cheerleaders, and Ally was not one of them anymore.

With every day of the week being a dress-up day, Monday's was Woodstock. Where the entire student body dressed up during the era of Woodstock during the 70's. Most girls either dressed in dresses and GoGo boots or bell bottom jeans and a flowy shirt, while the majority of the guys dressed in tidied tees and bandanas.

The trio slowed as Dez, Shane, and Austin walked towards them. As they greeted, Austin threw Ally a wink. "Hey baby, how about you and I get out of here and get to know each other," Austin flirted. Ally smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Hm, I don't know. Are you a tree killer?"

"Treehugger, huh?" Austin questioned, and Ally nodded. "Baby, I can replace your trees with other 'wood'." **(1)**

Ally let her mouth fall open, her eyes wide, but a smile itched the corners of her mouth. "Austin!"

Austin finally broke character, laughing along with the other four of their friends. "Shane, he made me do it," Austin claimed quickly, and Ally shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. As the six-stood laughing, the intercom sounded for morning announcements.

"Good morning students and staff. Welcome to the first day of Homecoming Week! This weeks' dress up days are; Monday (Woodstock), Twin Tuesday, Out of This World Wednesday, Thursday (Athletes), and Friday is 50's day! The parade will be downtown Thursday at 4:30. Football players, find you a sweetheart to support you Friday night by wearin' your name and number! Tickets for Homecoming are on sale now, make sure you swing by and get one! Thank you, everyone, have a nice day."

"Hm, I wonder who I could find to wear my jersey Friday night," Austin joked, and Ally looked at him in wonder. "You know, I'm really not sure either," Ally played along, and Austin glared playfully.

"Better watch it, Dawson."

/

"Guys, I'm not sure. Should I?"

"Yes, Als! You should, it's your uniform." Leo encouraged, and Trish nodded in agreement beside him. "But, I don't know. I don't want to start anything," Ally fretted. "Well, why don't you wear an old one? You were a cheerleader, you can wear that. Plus, imagine, Austin and you can take those adorable couple pictures of the football player and the cheerleader, posting them all over your social media. It'll make people jealous." Trish reassured, knowing her secretive weakness for adorable couple moments.

Ally sighed.

"Ally." Ally looked over at Leo, a pout forming on her lips. Leo stood up, walking over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Do not let someone control you. I know for a fact that you never have, and I'm sure as hell not about to let you start now. Trish and I will pick you up tomorrow since your dad is taking your car, if you come out of that house without that uniform on, we will drag you back in there and put it on you ourselves. Understand?"

Ally inhaled, biting her lip before nodding firmly. "Okay."

"That's our best friend! Let's show these bitches what they don't have!"

Ally laughed, suddenly feeling better with her confidants by her side.

/

Cat calls were heard as soon as the three cheerleaders walked through the doors of the high school, spotting Ally Dawson in uniform. People whispered some stared and most cheered.

With Trish and Leo flanking her sides, she felt assertive as hell in her uniform.

"Hot damn, my girlfriend is fine as hell!"

Ally smiled hearing Austin shout from the opposite side of the hall, it causing praise to erupt from her peers in the hallway, along with Dez and Shane nodding in agreement, eyes wide.

"I did not expect this reaction," Ally whispered to Leo and Trish, and they smiled. By the time they made it to the three football players at the end of the hallway, Brooke and Kira blocked their path.

"What the hell do you think you are doing," Brooke questioned, and while Ally wanted to back down, the tightening grip from Leo's arm interlocked with her's reminded her not too. "What," Ally asked simply, tilting her head. Austin, Shane, and Dez stepped around behind the three best friends, Austin placing a firm grip on her hips from behind.

"You know what, Dawson. You are not supposed to be in uniform. You aren't on the cheer squad anymore, remember?" Kira reminded, and Ally rolled her eyes. The entire hallway was quiet, waiting for the conversation to reach its' climax.

"Kira, Brooke. It's athlete's day. I can wear whatever means of sports clothing I would like," Ally prompted. "But not that uniform, damn it! I'm the cheer captain now, not you!" Brooke screeched. Ally went to defend herself when she heard every student behind her boo.

Brooke let her eyes widen and her mouth drop. "Face it, Brooke. You may be cheer captain, but the entire student body will always want Ally as their cheer captain," Leo snapped, and the boos were replaced by yells.

"Yeah, cheerleading is important to this school. You wanna know why, because Ally made sure the entire squad was exceptionally nice to everyone, always including and recruiting. Ally is the true leader here, not you. Besides, you have captain by default." Trish stated.

"Guys," Ally warned, and the two looked at Ally as if she had two heads. "Als, come on." Leo voiced, and Ally shook her head.

"No, we aren't sinking to her level. If the odds work out, karma is always known to be a bitch."

With that being said, Ally turned Leo, Trish, and herself around to walk to class as the bell rung.

While she may not have been proud of how her two best friends were perceived, but she sure did feel self-assured for the first time in a long time.

/

As the day progressed, everyone was preparing for the parade that was taking place downtown. Ally had not heard anything out of Brooke or Kira for the rest of the day, however, that did not keep her wannabes from sending her glares for the rest of the day.

On the bright side, Austin and she did get their cute couple pictures.

Ally squealed as Austin nearly dropped her from his back. "Geez, Austin! Can you not hold me," Ally laughed, and Austin let out a scoff.

"I bench half your weight, of course, I can hold you," Austin explained, offended, and Ally rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They were currently outside, standing in front of a brick wall with Ally on Austin's back while Trish took pictures.

Despite it being particularly sunny, it felt exceptionally pleasant with it being in the mid-eighties in the last week of October. Between the lovely weather, the excitement of homecoming and her friends always keeping her laughing; Ally found it tricky to be in a bad mood due to Brooke and Kira's behavior.

It was awfully addicting; however, she did not mind it, she loved the feeling.

"Okay children, smile," Trish grabbed their attention, and the couple turned to look at the camera.

As they finished taking pictures, the final bell of the day rung, signaling the end of the school day.

"Welp, time to get ready for the parade," Trish announced, grabbing her things. Austin nodded, and Ally hopped down from his hold. "Are you coming, Als," Trish asked.

"Well, duh. Just because I'm not on the cheer squad does not mean I won't come support," Ally claimed, and the two smiled. "Okay, you two. Go," Ally swatted. They chuckled, and Austin leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

With that, the two walked off towards the exit of the school. Biting her lip, Ally sighed, grabbing her things before making her way to the parking lot.

/

As line up for the parade began to start, Ally parked close to the high school to watch. The parade was a little under a mile, so it would not be long, however, she made sure to get midway.

Hearing her phone ring, she quickly scrambled through her bag trying to retrieve it. Seeing it was Austin, she answered. "Hello."

"Hey Als, can you grab my phone from Casey? She should be coming around," Trish's voice carried through. "Yeah, sure. Are you guys lined up?" Ally questioned, looking around the crowd of people for Casey.

"Yep. About to start, I have to go. Love ya."

"Love you too, bye."

"You and Austin have already said the 'L' word! Congrats girl!"

Ally jumped, spinning around to see Casey. Ally's eyes widened. "Oh, no. That was Trish on Austin's phone."

"Another girl on Austin's phone? Shouldn't you be worried?"

Ally's face held little to no concern as she stared at Casey with no emotion. "No, she's my best friend." Ally's response was monotone, not interested in the conversation, or what Casey was suggesting. Casey Melvin was a pot stirrer, someone Ally did not want to think that Austin was cheating, especially with Trish. All in all, Casey was not Ally's favorite person in the world.

"Can I get Trish's phone, please?" Ally asked, holding out her hand. "Oh, sure."

When Ally had Trish's phone in her hand, she turned back to the road, waiting for the parade to start. While she could hear the beginning of it from her place, she could already see the massive floats making their way.

Soon, she cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the football player's float passed by. After that, the cheerleaders, however their stance through Ally off.

Usually, in parades, cheerleaders were peppy and careless, walking behind the football float bouncing around and cheering on their feet. Yet, this time, they walked like in straight lines and were still as statues. Ally furrowed her eyebrows, catching eyes with Brooke, who of course was in the front.

She sent a glare, and Ally recoiled. "What the hell," Ally mumbled beneath his breath.

Ally let her curiosity fade, along with her annoyance.

And before she knew it, the parade was over, and she was on her way back to the schoolhouse to meet up with Trish, Leo, and Austin.

"Brooke, what the hell! Why did my cheerleaders look like drill sergeants!"

Ally watched silently as Coach Sarah yelled frantically at Brooke. Brooke stood with a bored expression, not taking in a word Sarah was saying. "You know what, just get out of here." Coach Sarah exclaimed, and Brooke happily followed the rest of the cheerleaders into the locker rooms.

Calming herself, Coach Sarah finally took notice of Ally watching from behind the open door of her car. "Ally?'

Swallowing, Ally nodded in her direction in greeting. Walking over intently, Coach Sarah come to stand in front of her former cheer captain.

"How have you been, honey?"

Ally nodded. Before Ally could say anything, Coach Sarah blurted out words that Ally had been craving to here for the past two weeks.

"Come back and cheer for me! Please, the squad needs you, I need you. Brooke and Kira will be dealt with, I promise. In fact, if you want them off the squad, I'll take them off, they don't deserve to be on it anyways after what they've done to you. I-" Ally cut her off by placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Sarah, calm down. I'll come back."

Sarah's eyes lit up before she pulled the smaller girl into her arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Ally chuckled, returning her hug.

"But, can we not speak of this to anyone? I've already gotten enough dislike for wearing my uniform today for athlete's day." Ally explained, and Sarah nodded, regret etched across her face.

"Ally, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you two weeks ago when someone spray painted those words all over your locker. I should have questioned them, better yet, made changes for you to stay. For all that you have done for the squad, you've been treated horribly. You are more of a coach than I am to those girls." Sarah apologized, and Ally smiled gently. Leaning up, she kissed her cheek.

"Sarah, we need you, more than you know. You are our mentor, our friend, and our second mom. I know that you were doing what you thought was best."

Sarah stared at Ally, her eyes full of pride. "You are such an amazing young woman. You are incredibly wise beyond your years."

Ally laughed, wiping underneath her watery eyes. "When did this turn into a blubbering party?"

Sarah chuckled, copying Ally's actions. "Okay, okay. I'll see you tomorrow night, on the sidelines?" Ally nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Great."

"Oh, and Ally?"

Ally turned around, raising her eyebrows at Sarah. Sarah stood with her phone out, staring at Ally with a playfully unapprovingly look on her face. "Yeah?"

Tossing her phone, Ally caught it before looking down. A small grin beamed from the brunette as she stared down at the picture.

At some point between the end of school and the parade, Austin had posted the picture of Ally on his back while she giggled with Austin looking up at her.

 _I know for a fact that this cheerleader has always got my back_

Ally rolled her eyes wholeheartedly, knowing that he was not only being sweet but calling certain people out. What would she do without him?

However, her eyes widened when she realized what Sarah was implying. "Technically, I wasn't on the cheer team, and it is not vulgar," Ally shrugged, hopeful that she would not make Austin take it down.

It was against the team violations to be taking pictures and posting them on social media while in your uniform, especially with a boyfriend. Sarah chuckled, taking the phone from Ally. "You two are lucky you are cute."

As Sarah walked off, Ally chuckled while exhaling heavily.

/

To say the that the stadium was packed was an understatement. Everyone was arriving an hour early in order to get a seat, yet did not realize that they probably should have left even earlier.

Loud music blared from the press box speakers, and the chatter was jam-packed. The football players were spread out across the field, stretching and readying for the game. The opposing team had just arrived, taking the opposite side of the field to do the same.

The student section, which Ally was 'apart' of, was dressing in either black tees or one of the football players' jerseys, and gym shorts due to the theme being blackout for tonight's game. Yellow handprints from paint were pressed on Ally's thighs along with cobalt glitter taking place on all of the girls' temples, including hers. **(2)**

All in all, Ally was sure she looked like the school threw up on her.

Helping other students carry boxes full of cowbells and rattlers, Ally jumped when someone yelled.

"Hey, Al!"

Ally turned at the sound of her name being called. "Are you staying the entire game in the student section?" Hannah called, and Ally shook her head. "No, I'm just helping out, but I'm gonna only be up here for like five minutes, I have to do something." Ally claimed, and Hannah nodded before turning around to grab more boxes.

Soon, the time for the players to go into the field house to get padded up came.

"Ally!"

Turning, she jogged down the bleachers to the fence from where Austin yelled her name. Gripping the fence between her fingers, Ally reached out to grab the whistle necklace he was giving her to hold, along with his Leatherman jacket.

Looking her up and down, he chuckled at her attire. "Why don't you look adorable."

Ally laughed, looking down at herself. "I think glitter, paint, and your jersey really suits me, don't ya think?"

Austin chuckled, nodding before leaning over the fence to kiss her head. "Good luck, show out for me?" Ally enquired, and Austin winked. "Of course."

With that, he ran off towards the field house, and Ally made her way back up the bleachers, putting his beloved necklace safely around her neck, tucking it in her shirt before pulling on the bulky varsity jacket, it instantly bringing her warmth from the cool October night.

"Welcome students, teachers, staff, and alumni of Miami High to your Homecoming game!"

Ally smirked as she caught Sarah's wink, signaling for her to come down to the sidelines. Quickly, Ally began to head down the bleachers and to the railing.

"Leo!" Ally called, and he looked from the field in her direction. Furrowing his eyebrows, he jogged over. "What's up?"

Ally winked, throwing her legs over the railing. "Catch me?"

Leo grinned, motioning for her to jump. With that, Ally jumped, Leo catching her around her torso. Sitting her on her feet, he smiled down at her. "You are cheering again. Aren't you?"

"The bitch is back."

"Hell yeah!" Leo yelled, spinning her around in mid-air.

"What?" Trish quizzed, the entire cheer team staring at the two. Leo wrapped an arm around Ally's shoulders. "Our captain is back in business."

Cheers erupted from the members. Ally felt the various rush of emotions she usually encounters; excitement, adrenaline, and love. "But, she can't! She's not even in uniform" Brooke shouted. "Brooke, if you wanna keep your spot, I would advise you keep your mouth shut. And, I would stay on Ally's good side. I was going to kick you off the team for your behavior, however, Ally is a good person, but she can kick you off herself if ever needed," Coach Sarah ranted, and Brooke huffed, stomping her foot to the ground.

As soon as Brooke made her way over to pout in the corner, the buzzer rang and the two teams ran through their banners.

Ally smiled, getting in position as the band played the school's fight song. Looking over and Leo and Trish, the three smiled at each other.

It felt good.

/

"Touchdown Manatees!"

Ally cheered loudly as she watched Austin cross the goal line.

Fourth quarter and Manatees are up by three with five minutes left in the game. As the fight song played through, Coach called the players over to the sidelines for a play by play.

Looking over, she saw Austin's eyes widened when he realized she was on the track, cheering. She smiled happily, sending him a wink.

He returned it before directing his attention back to the coach. Running back to the field, the Manatees got into position for defense.

"Okay guys, get into position for the defense cheer," Ally spoke, and everyone did as asked. Turning to face the crowd, she was about to call out the first sentence before the crowd stopped her by letting out surprised gasps.

Turning, she locked eyes with teammates mates, and when they shrugged, they all directed their attention to the field.

"Oh, someone is hurt," Leo announced, and Ally nodded, noticing it was a football player for the Manatees by the color of the uniform. Paramedics had made their way to the player, hiding him from the crowd.

Hearing chatter, she turned to see Brooke and Kira talking.

"Kira. Brooke. Be quiet, someone is hurt," Ally ordered, and they let out a single scoff.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about other things." Kira questioned, boredom in her tone. Ally cocked her head to the side, confusion etched across her face. Before they could say anything, she felt hands grip her shoulders. Turning around, she spotted Leo looking pale.

"Als, it's bad."

Ally raised her eyebrows. "Bad? Leo, what is bad?" Hearing the sirens of the ambulance cut on from the end of the field, she shot her attention over there before looking towards the player.

Laying completely still, with helmet off and jersey ripped open was Austin with Mimi and Mike standing over him.

Ally froze. Everything became indistinct as she gripped Leo's arm. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she broke away from Leo's hold. Dropping everything in her grip, she sprinted to the motionless player.

Mike caught the weeping girl as soon as she made it to them. "What-what's wrong? What happened?" While Ally wanted her voice to come out strong without any sign of alarm, but she knew they heard every waver, breaking her calm exterior.

Throughout her years of watching the Manatees, she has seen multiple players get hurt, even Austin himself, however when she stared up at Mimi, who's eyes were filled with tears, a sickening feeling settle in her stomach.

Mimi placed her hands gently on Ally's face, smoothing her hair back. "We don't know, honey. He isn't moving, and they think he may be in shock."

A whimper escaped as she watched them load Austin onto the ambulance. "Mr. and Mrs. Moon, you are allowed to ride in the ambulance with us, I apologize, however, the limit is two."

Mike and Mimi looked at each other before looking at the girl who stared at their son, completely out of it as tears streamed down her face.

"Mike, you go. Ally and I will meet you two there," Mimi spoke, carefully pulling Ally into her. Mike nodded, kissing his wife's head while patting Ally softly on the back.

As Mike disappeared into the ambulance, Mimi pulled Ally and herself off the field to the bleachers to retrieve their things.

Upon making it to the track, Leo and Trish brought Ally into a hug. "Trish and I will be up at the hospital when the game finishes, okay?" Leo informed, and Ally nodded into his chest. Ally gripped tighter on Leo's shirt with one hand and Trish's arm with another, holding on to the only comfort she had at the moment.

While she wanted Austin's comfort, they were all she had, and they came pretty damn close.

Leo kissed her head while Trish rubbed her back. "He'll be okay, Als."

Ally inhaled deeply. "I hope."

/

Ally watched the heart of Miami from a window in the waiting room of a hospital, fiddling with the whistle necklace that hung from her neck. With the hospital being forty-five minutes away from the school, Ally was worried they would not be able to get Austin to the hospital quick enough.

Her tears had stopped, but fear consumed her body at every corner and the sensation of nausea was constantly making a reoccurring appearance. She stayed quiet and to herself, staring at anything to get her mind off the fact that she was here because her boyfriend was in one of those rooms.

She was still covered in dried paint and glitter from the game, her tousled curls pulled into a high pony on her head. Although she was not paying any mind to anything around her, the clearing of throats from Mimi or Mike to interrupt the rude stares gave her the realization of how abnormal she looked.

"How is he?"

She vaguely heard the voice of Leo, but did not bother to turn around.

"We haven't heard anything yet," Mimi confirmed. Leo sighed before nodding towards Ally. "How is she?"

"Quiet. She did not say anything the entire ride here, and she has been staring out the window ever since we've gotten here."

Leo nodded before walking over to Ally with Trish in tow. As Leo wrapped an arm around Ally's shoulder from the left, and Trish wrapped her arm around her waist from the right, she felt that comfort come back.

Leaning her head on Leo's shoulder, the three stared out the window.

Mimi smiled at the sight. "What?" Mike asked, and Mimi motioned towards the trio. "It's a nice sight. I would have killed to have friends like that growing up." Mimi explained, and Mike nodded.

"Austin Moon."

Five heads shot their attention to the doctor. Making their way over, they waited for the information.

"He's gonna be okay."

Ally sighed in relief as all of the fear perished.

"However, his condition is serious. He had an extremely serve stinger, where the nerves in the neck, shoulder, and arm are affected by a harsh hit. When Austin was hit, the pain from the stinger caused his body to go into shock, he was nearly paralyzed."

Everyone stayed silent at the information.

"No activity for the next week, and if he still receives shooting pains down his arm or numbing in the hand, take him back to the doctor. I'm gonna give him medication and some exercise, but we can talk about that later. I've given him something to help him sleep, but you can all see him in room 308."

Mimi smiled. "Thank you, doctor."

"My pleasure, thank you for your patience's. I know that you are in a hurry to see your son, but could you please come fill out some paper work for his medication right quick."

Mike and Mimi nodded, following the doctor to his office.

Ally inhaled. "You go see him, Als. Trish and I are starving, so we will go grab something to eat while giving you some privacy. Do you want anything?"

Ally shook her head, kissing them both on the cheek before heading to room 308. Walking in, she spotted Austin sound asleep on the hospital bed in a tee and gym shorts. She smiled softly, walking over to grip his hand and kiss his forehead.

He slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the brunette beauty. He smiled up at her. "Hey gorgeous."

She felt warmth travel through her at the common nickname. She smoothed his hair out of his eyes, taking a seat by the bed. "Hey, superstar. When I told you to play out for me tonight, I meant for the entire game," Ally joked, and Austin let a miniature chuckle escape.

Ally stared, watching as he fought to keep his eyes open due to the drug they were pumping into his body. "You scared me tonight," Ally admitted softly, looking down at their intertwined hands.

Austin let his smile fade, a small pout taking place. "I'm sorry."

Ally let the corner of her mouth twitch upright into a reassuring smile, leaning over to press their foreheads together before connecting their lips in a small peck. Pulling away, Ally stared down at him, running her thumb soothing over his cheek.

"Will you stay?" He murmured, hope filling his beautifully colored eyes, and Ally had never seen him so vulnerable, it was usually the other way around. She nodded, sitting back down into the hospital chair. "I'm not going anywhere, Aus. Sleep."

At the sound of that, he let his eyes close, and Ally finally let her body rest as she laid her head on his chest, never releasing his hand. Exhaustion was finally catching up to her as she shut her eyes, letting the reassuring thump of Austin's heart beat lull her to sleep.

/

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? You are exhausted, Als."

It was six o'clock in the morning, the day after, and Leo and brought Ally to retrieve her car from the field. While the process was supposed to be quick, Leo continued to argue with her.

"Leo, I'll be fine. My house is not even that far away." Ally answered, and Leo sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. Be careful, I love you, text me when you get home." Leo ordered, and Ally rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yes dad. I will."

Leo let a smirk cover his face. "Oh, Ally. I did not know you were like that."

And just like that, Leo was back to normal.

Ally shook her head, too tired to be shocked by his comment. "Good, you are back. Your concern was getting too strange."

Leo flipped her off, getting into his car, waiting for her to do the same. Rolling down the windows, Ally yelled across. "Do not follow me home, Leo!"

"I'm not!" Leo yelled out in defense. And, while Ally knew that he probably was not going too, there was also a possibility that he would.

As Ally drove to her house, she did have a hard time fighting sleep, but eventually pulled safely into her drive. Hearing her phone sound, she grabbed it from the console to see that Austin had texted her letting her know that he had made it home. After answering him, she cut her car off before forcing herself into her home.

"Dad?" Ally called out to an empty house. Not hearing an answer, she walked into the kitchen to see a note on the counter from her father telling her that he was at work. Not bothering to read it fully, she grabbed a glass to fill it with water.

Walking across the kitchen, she removed Austin's Leatherman jacket from her body before hanging it on the coat rack that stood by the garage door.

Spotting a glimpse of herself in the full body mirror that hung on the back of the door, Ally flinched. Her tousled waves cascaded down her back while her makeup had worn from her skin, leaving only the effects of the dark eyeliner reinforcing her eyes keeping her from looking as fatigued as she felt.

Golden dried paint stuck to her legs in streaks, remaining from last night. The glitter stuck to her temple, perfectly untouched, giving Ally the dread of having to remove it. Austin jersey hugged her figure due to the rubber band that tied in the back.

Sighing, Ally shook her head before grabbing her water, planning to head upstairs to take a shower before finally getting some sleep. Sipping her water, she shot Leo a quick text to inform him that she had made it home.

"Allyson?"

A scream ripped from Ally's throat at the unknown voice from behind her as she dropped her belongings in her hand. Hearing the shattering of the glass and her phone, Ally subconsciously cursed as she turned abruptly.

However; she froze.

"Mom."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **(1) This is a sexual joke, just in case you did not catch it! I do not want to explain it, so I hope you got it! Lol.**

 **(2) If you have never been to a football game, or you do not do this at your school, it is extremely common. We do this at my school, but since I am in the band, I do not know how to be very descriptive about the entire thing.**

 **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you think!**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey you guys! Chap. fourteen is offically here! I know its' been nearly a month, but I'm back.**

 **If you did not read my last author's note that was at the beginning of chap. 13, I highly, highly suggest that you read it, you may get confused it you don't! Anyways, on with the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: this kind of a filler, kind of not. It is NOT EDITED. I don't own anything you may recongnize.**

* * *

"Hello, my beautiful, best friend."

Ally turned around at the sound of Trish's greeting, and attempted to smile, considering she felt like a walking zombie with the lack of sleep she had been receiving. How Trish could be so cheerful in the mornings, she did not know.

"Mornings guys." Ally greeted both Trish and Leo as she closed her car door. Looking around the campus, Ally noticed that they were about an hour early. "Why in the hell are we so early?" Trish questioned, and Leo yawned out a response.

"We were supposed to have an assembly, but they canceled ten minutes ago."

"Are you kidding me," Ally groaned, wiping her face that was free of makeup, not feeling the motivation to put it on this morning. Leo shook his head. With a sigh, the trio walked into the office to find Austin in a chair with his feet propped on the counter.

His shoulder was currently free of the sling that he was forced to wear over the past weekend ever since being released from the hospital, however; he had yet to be released from the doctor to play Friday night.

Austin let his legs fall as Ally made her way towards him, taking a seat on his lap. Leo and Trish sat across from them while Ally spotted Austin's drink. "What's in that?" Ally quizzed, pointing to the styrofoam cup. Not looking from his cell, Austin answered her question. "Root beer."

Ally reached over to grab it before drinking it. Austin chuckled before finishing what he was doing on his cell. Leaning her head on his uninjured shoulder, Ally casually sipped on Austin's drink while staring at Austin phone in his hands, reminding the three of a toddler.

"Dez is an idiot," Ally announced, having read the conversation that Austin and Dez were currently texting each other. Austin chuckled, an amused smile covered his features as he looked up at Ally.

She said nothing, however; before placing the straw back in-between her lips. Looking over at Trish and Leo, they shrugged, not knowing the slightest about Ally's current attitude.

"She's in an odd mood this morning," Leo answered. Austin nodded, the amusement never falling from his face as he kissed her temple. Leaning back, Ally placed Austin's drink back on the counter before returning to her previous position.

It was not long before Austin felt Ally not moving for an unusual amount of time. Trish immediately cooed. "And, she's asleep," Leo confirmed Austin's unanswered question.

As the hour went on, Trish, Leo, and Austin sat to themselves quietly while Ally slept. Twenty minutes before the first period, the office assistant, Mary, walked in. "Aww, if you two were not so cute, I would tell you to stop with the PDA."

Leo snorted. "Ha, if she was not asleep on Austin, she'd be asleep either on Trish or me. So, Trish and I just got lucky." Mary laughed, sitting behind the desk.

"Als," Austin spoke gently, shaking her lightly. She opened her brown eyes, looking up at him without saying a word. He laughed at her pout. "First period is about to start."

She huffed, reluctantly removing herself from Austin. Looking around the office, the first bell rang. While Trish and Leo gathered their stuff, Ally stared straight at Austin, her face expressionless. He raised his eyebrows in confusion before she leaned over him and grabbed his root beer.

"I'm taking this."

Without letting Austin answer, she walked out the office door. The straw between her lips once again.

Mary laughed. "Seems like she told you. Hope you did not want that."

Austin laughed at his girlfriend's childlike behavior, shaking his head. "Doesn't really matter, she drank half of it earlier anyway."

Mary released another laugh.

/

Lunch rolled around, and Ally walked over to the table Austin was sitting at. With Dez and Shane in front of him across the table, she sat beside him on the bench.

"Well hello there, sleepy head. Did you manage to stay awake during first this morning?"

"Eh, barely." Ally replied, reaching over to steal a fry. While Austin did not acknowledge it, Dez and Shane did. "Woah, bro. You just let her take your food? No way."

Austin laughed. "It's nothing new," Austin informed, and both of the guys nodded. "If that is what it is like having a girlfriend. I don't want one," Shane admitted, and the three boys laughed while Ally simply ignored them.

"Most girls give y'all sex in return. So, don't say us girls never give you anything." Ally bluntly replied before removing herself from the bench, pecking Austin on the cheek, and leaving to go to her next period.

Austin, Dez, and Shane stared at the brunette as she retreated. "So, what I am hearing is, Ally gives you.."

"Don't." Austin pointed his voice stern. Shane laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. While Austin glared at Shane, Leo and Trish walked up. "Have you seen, Als?"

Austin nodded. "Yeah, she was just here. Why is she in such an odd mood," Austin worried. Sure, Ally had different moods all the time. Sometimes she was loud and outgoing, other times she was reserved and timid, and most of the time she was carefree and sweet.

Trish chuckled. "Austin, don't worry. She gets like this sometimes, where she is straightforward and expressionless. It's more than likely because she had to get up an hour earlier this morning for nothing. It's normal, I promise. It's just one of, the many, moods of Ally Dawson."

Austin nodded. A new one he had yet to discover, okay then.

"You are sure it is normal?"

Leo nodded, looking down at his hands. "Yep." His response was blunt and moderate. "We've had many sleepovers with her, this is usually, one hundred percent of the time, how she is when she is tired. I kind of like it, she is a bit more like me."

Austin relaxed. Leo was right, he was really blunt, but he also cared for Ally a lot. So, if Leo was not worried, then he did not need to be either.

/

Austin trudged into his sixth-period class, looking around at the lack of people before realizing that he was early. Spotting Ally in the middle of the class, sitting at the table deep in thought, he made his way to her, quietly.

Placing his hands over her eyes from behind, she jumped.

"Guess who," Austin whispered, chuckling at her reaction. Ally responded almost immediately. "Gorge Clooney."

Austin removed his hands, taking the seat beside her. "Damn." She smirked his way, and he rolled his eyes lightheartedly, bending down to grab his chemistry textbook. Turning back to her notebook, she continued to write away at whatever she was working on.

"I haven't seen you much lately," Austin mentioned, placing his belongings on the table. It had been five days since the night in the hospital, and Austin had only seen Ally a handful of times since then. Today had been the most he had seen her all week.

Sighing, Ally placed her pencil down before turning her attention back to him. "I know, I'm sorry. With finals coming up and being cheer captain again, I'm playing catch up." Ally acknowledged, and Austin sent her a reassuring smile.

"How's your shoulder doing," Ally questioned, as she turned back to her notes, making sure to listen. "It's good, I have a doctor's appointment this evening and I should be able to play Friday night," Austin informed, relief covering his facial features at the thought of being able to play his last district game as a senior.

Ally looked back at him, her smile widened, but quickly disappeared as the couple jumped when Shane slammed his hands down on the table in front of them. "Hello, my beautiful friends." Shane greeted, a broad grin on his face.

Austin raised his eyebrows while Ally reacted to his is strange behavior. "What do you want?"

Shane gasped, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. "Why do you think I want something?" The couple both shot him a pointed look, and when taking in their features he caved. "Alright, alright. I have an important question."

Austin motioned for him to continue. "I'm having a Halloween party tomorrow night, and I want the both of you to come." He hesitated before finally stating the invitation. Austin looked over towards Ally, noticing that she wavered.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea," Austin answered, and Shane's posture fell. "Come on guys, it is my party. Things will be organized, under control, and there will be no way anyone can get away with anything illegal."

Austin locked his eyes back on Ally, watching her as she pondered over the idea. Watching her heave a sigh, Austin knew her answer before she uttered it. "I'm sorry Shane, but I just don't think that it would be a good idea, at least for me. Austin, if you want to go, go." Ally encouraged, and Shane shook his head. "No, Austin isn't going to come unless you do, but it's okay. I understand, maybe next time?"

Ally sent him a grateful smile before nodding. "Most definitely."

Shane shot her a grin before heading out of the classroom. Letting a silent groan fall from her parted lips, Ally laid her head down, and Austin placed his hand on the small of her back before rubbing small circles.

"When am I going to let that stop affecting me." Ally whispered, and while she intended for no one to hear, Austin caught it. "Gorgeous, if you aren't ready, then you aren't ready. That's okay." Austin soothed, and Ally simply inhaled.

"How about you and I have a horror movie marathon at my house tomorrow night for Halloween?" Austin declared, knowing her love for horror movies, especially around this time of the year. **(1)**

Leaning up, Ally nodded softly, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

/

Ally finished the last bit of her homework for the evening before leaning back in her desk chair. Taking a minute to breathe, Ally pushed herself out of it before getting ready to go over to Austin's to watch horror movies.

Normally, she would be out at a Halloween party or helping hand out candy, but with the events that had taken place in her life the past couple of months, she simply wanted a night in and couch cuddles with Austin. Austin had not been wrong when he stated that he had barely seen her, and she knew the real reasoning behind that, but that did not mean she did not miss him like crazy whenever he was not around.

"Hey honey, where are you going tonight?" Lester's appearance at the entrance of her bedroom door made her jump. Ally laughed at herself before answering her father. "Over to Austin's, we are having a movie night tonight for Halloween."

Lester nodded, walking in before taking a seat on her sofa. "So, are you just going to ignore what happened Saturday morning?" Lester questioned carefully, not wanting to set a spark in his daughter. While he was not forcing her to talk about it, he was beginning to worry about her lack of speaking about the current situation, knowing her habit of holding her emotions.

Shaking her head, Ally dismissed the subject like she had been the past five days. "Okay, which movie? Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Grudge?" Ally questioned, holing up the two DVDs. Lester sighed.

"Honey, we need to talk about what happe-"

"No, no we don't. She showed up, did not like the greeting she got and left. There is nothing more to it." Ally's tone became forceful and harsh, the entirety of her demeanor changing. "I know that, but she is still in town and still trying to reach you."

Ally's stare hardened as she kept her gaze on her father for a moment too long. "I don't care what she wants. She can leave, for good."

Grabbing her bag, she made her way out of her bedroom and out of the house.

/

Ally curled her way further into Austin's side as the horror movie on the television captured their attention. The house was quiet and toasty, considering it was in the fifty's outside, and Ally could smell the lingering aroma of cookies that were baking when she arrived, crustiest of Mimi.

Grabbing a piece of popcorn, Austin placed it in front of Ally's lips. Giggling, Ally opened her mouth, letting Austin feed her the snack. Ally leaned her head back on Austin's shoulder, feeling the most content she had felt all week.

"What time is your mom going to be back from taking Emmy trick or treating?" Ally questioned quietly, not wanting to ruin the comfortable silence. Looking at the watch on his wrist, he noticed that it was a little past eight.

"She should be home soon. Why?"

Ally shook her head, snuggling back into him, not wanting the night to end. She did not want to go home to an empty house where whenever he father was home, only pestered her about her mother. She did not want her mother looking for her, or showing up at her house uninvited.

Why did she have to come back now, when it felt like her life was falling apart and she was only hanging on by a thread?

Austin noticed before Ally did that silent tears were slowly making way down her face. Sitting abruptly, Austin's face insistently grew worried. "Woah, Ally? Hey, what's the matter?"

Straightening, Ally intended to wipe the tears off her face and deny that anything was wrong, however; her throat tightened and a loud sob escaped. Covering her mouth, she attempted to calm herself but failed to do so.

"Gorgeous," Austin stated, eyes wide as he brought her to him as she sobbed relentlessly. Austin rocked her back and forth, shushing her as you would a toddler.

Not having seen her cry like this in such a long, Austin could not pinpoint what was bothering her. The assault had died down, and only small things affected her now. The words on her locker did not get to her that badly, simply because she was not that type of person. She was back on the cheer team, and last Friday night was the happiest he had seen her in the longest.

His shoulder was fine, she knew that he was released to play. So, whatever it was that was bothering her, he did not know about.

Eventually, her sobbing relented, but she stilled with her face in the crook of his neck.

"My mother is back."

Austin recoiled, not ever hearing Ally talk of her mother. The only thing that Austin had heard about Ally's mother was from Trish and Leo, and that was little to no information, only telling him that she had left when Ally was ten. And, Ally resented her for it.

Obviously, if she was this upset, things did not go well when she met with Ally.

Pulling back, Ally studied his confused face, not really understanding the situation. Sighing, Ally wiped her eyes and nose before settling down. "My mother left when I was ten. She left with no words, no goodbye, no letter, not a thing. We came home one day to find her things gone, and her amount of money disappeared from my father and hers' joined checking accounts. Divorce papers were on the table, her signature already on the line." Ally explained, her voice cracking as more tears left.

"My parents never fought, in fact, my father gave her everything. That's why he was so heartbroken when she just left. We had absolutely no idea where she went. It took forever for my father to get back on his feet, working a job and taking care of his ten-year-old daughter."

Ally shook her head, her face pursed in anger, and Austin focused on not letting his thoughts show through his facial features. He did not know Ally could muster that much hate just through the words she was speaking.

"As time went, my father got back on his feet, got an amazing job. I was going to school, and before we knew it, we had forgotten of my mother."

Ally paused, waiting for Ally to continue, knowing that the story was not over.

"That was until she showed up in our house, the morning after I got home from staying overnight with you in the hospital." Ally whispered, fiddling with the ends of her sweater.

Austin could not keep his face from morphing into shock. "What happened?" Austin whispered in question. Ally sniffled, and Austin felt his heart clench.

"It did not go well."

" _Mom."_

 _Ally stared straight ahead at the last person she expected to see in her kitchen. "Hi, Allyson." Penny smiled gently._

 _Ally felt unable to move. Astonishment engulfed her body as everything around her blurred._

" _What are you doing here?"_

 _While Ally heard the words coming from her mouth, she did not intend on saying them. Penny frowned, stepping closer and Ally felt herself take a step back. "I'm here to see you, Allyson."_

 _Ally glared, finally seeming to get her thoughts in order. "It's Ally." Her words were harsh, however; Penny ignored it. "Oh, you changed it! When? I never even thought to call you that. Look at how you've grown, you are so beautiful."_

 _Ally's glare never flattered. No matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to get her thoughts in order. "Are you alright, honey?"_

 _Penny reached out to grab Ally's arm, but Ally jerked herself backward. "Get out."_

 _Her words were simple but left no room for argument. She could not handle this, not today. Penny's face fell. "Get out? Allyson, I'm your moth-"_

 _Ally slammed her hand down on the counter, scaring the women across from her. "I'm not doing this with you. Not today, not tomorrow. I want you to leave."_

 _Ally felt herself doing the one thing she did not want to do in front of this woman. Tears began to wail in her eyes, but she forced them back as she watched Penny's reaction. "Allyson.."_

" _No! You need to leave. Right now. This is not your home anymore, this isn't your family anymore! You left, and when you walked out of that door six years ago, the family you once had gone with you. We don't want you here."_

" _Ally, please. Just give me a couple of minutes to explain."_

 _Ally shook her head. "No."_

 _Ally felt herself breaking. With little to no sleep and having to watch her boyfriend lie in a hospital bed all night long, all she wanted was for this to end. Her mentality had already been put through enough torture the past twenty-four hours._

" _Penny, she asked you to leave."_

 _Ally turned to spot Leo at the door frame, his arms cross and his facial features hardened. For once, Ally was glad that he had followed her home._

" _Who are you," Penny questioned, mocking his actions. "This is not your house, therefore; you have no authority to tell me to leave."_

 _Leo tensed, walking closer to her. "I don't give a damn. I'm telling you to leave, because the owner of this house has already told you to leave."_

" _Allyson does not own this house, Lester doe-"_

" _Penny, I don't think we want to get the police involved, now do we." Leo and Penny were now face to face, well, more like face to chest considering Leo towered over her like he did with Ally. Fear flashed in Penny's eyes, however; you had to be quick to catch it._

" _If Ally asked you to leave, then you leave. Don't make me, make you."_

 _Penny studied him for only a second before marching around him and out of the house. As soon as Penny exited, Ally felt able to breathe. Turning to her, Leo felt his face fall at the sight of his best friend. She looked ultimately defeated._

 _She had been doing so well lately. She seemed to be completely forgetting about the assault and the bullying._

 _However; this might have just been the icing on top of the cake._

 _With her chest heaving, Ally's hands shook as she bent down to clean up the broken shards of glass. Picking up her phone, Ally saw the cracks that made up her screen. "Damn it."_

" _Hey, hey. Don't worry about that." Leo ordered, worried with her unsteadied hands what damage she could possibly do to herself. Pulling her up by her forearms, Ally fell into Leo's welcoming embrace, exhaustion catching up to her physically._

 _Her shaking figure made Leo's arms tighten around her. "You're okay," Leo reassured._

 _Ally tried composing herself but did not let tears fall. The woman that just left did not deserve them, and after watching the person she cared about the most lay in a hospital bed, she could not find it in herself to cry, especially not because of someone like Penny Dawson._

Austin failed to wrap his head around the fact that she had kept something like this to herself all week. She was fine, to him at least, but like he mentioned earlier, he had barely seen her. Maybe this was why.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this, Als? Did Leo and you ever talk about it?" Austin questioned, and Ally shook her head silently, wiping the remaining tears off her face.

"Ally, it isn't healthy to not talk about it."

Ally suddenly jumped to defense, not wanting to hear the same thing had father had been repeating for the past week. Removing herself quickly from the couch. "Austin, I did not want to talk about it. Hell, I didn't even want to talk about it then, but I really couldn't just start crying with giving you a reason, now could I?"

With wide eyes, Austin was left speechless by her sudden burst of anger, and a little amazed at how she could still sound like a smart ass as well.

"Ally, all I'm saying is-"

"I hear what you are saying, Austin. You are saying the same thing my dad has been saying to me for the past week. If I don't want to talk about it, then I won't."

Austin held his hands up in surrender, knowing Ally well enough to know that if she did not want to talk about something, she would not. "You are right, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm just worried about you. It was just a suggestion," Austin expressed, staring at her carefully.

Ally sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Standing, Austin pulled her into him. "Ally, it's all gonna be okay. I promise. If you don't want to see her, then you don't have to see her." Austin soothed, running his hand over the stands of her hair.

Ally exhaled, leaning against Austin for support. As he rocked them back and forth, Ally breathing returned to normal. "I'm sorry," Ally whispered against his chest, and he smiled. "Gorgeous, you don't have to apologize. It wasn't my say in the first place."

Pulling away, Ally stared up at him with her orbs of chocolate. Her wet lashes and redden rim made them pop more than usual, and while Austin hated the reasoning behind it, he found that was his favorite thing about them.

"I love you."

At the sound of that, both of their eyes widened.

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed! Who said the 'L' word first?**

 **(1) I know Ally does not like horror movies in the show, but for this fanfiction, she does.**

 **Have a great day!**

 **God Bless! Love you all.**

 **~Meg**


	15. Chapter 15

**Next Chap! I hope you enjoy!**

 **NOT EDITED. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING YOU MIGHT RECONGIZE.**

* * *

 _I love you._

Ally felt herself feel the need to hurl, the contents in her stomach swirled being the reason behind her nausea. Austin stared at Ally, eyes wide, unable to move at what was just said.

A silence filled the room, however; the noise of both of their own heartbeats filled their ears.

Austin waited patiently. Ally could not comprehend what was just said as she waited.

"I-I have to go."

With, Ally gripped her bag and raced out of the door. "Ally, wait!" Austin was not quick enough, for as he made his way to the door frame, Ally was backing out of the driveway.

/

Austin groaned as he slammed his locker door shut. It was currently Friday, and he had yet to see Ally after last night's confession. How had three little words, that were supposed to strengthen any relationship, caused such a downfall.

"Aye, Moon. Why so glum?" Shane asked, bumping shoulders with Austin, and Austin glared as he felt the smallest bit of pain travel down his arm. "Don't worry about it," Austin mumbled beneath his breath, gripping the straps of his backpack.

Austin caught the worried glance Shane had sent but refused to acknowledge it as he overlooked the crowded hallways for Ally. "Are you and Ally fighting or something," Shane question, concerned etched in his voice. Austin groaned, running his fingers through his blonde stands.

"We might as well be." Austin gritted, anger filling his body. _How could she just run off?_ _After something like that was said?_ Yet; as much as Austin wanted to feel angry, he wanted to find his girlfriend, the step they had just taken was a vast leap.

Catching the sight of Leo walking down the hall, Austin immediately started towards the male cheerleader. "Leo! Have you seen Ally?"

Leo jumped as Austin suddenly appeared in front of him, obviously frazzled. "Um, no. Why? Is something wrong?"

Austin heaved a sigh, sitting down on the bench. "I just need to find her, it is urgent." Leo studied the stressed blonde and pulled out his phone to get in contact with his best friend.

As the phone began to ring, Ally picked up on the second. "Hey, Als. Where are you?" Austin perked his head at the sound of Ally's voice coming from the cellular device. "Um, I'm kind of tied up. I'll be in for fifth today, okay?"

Her voice was weary, and Leo knew something was off the instant her voice carried through the earpiece. "Are you sure? Are you okay? Did something happen?" Leo interrogated, throwing out questions before Ally could think of how to answer.

"Leo, I'm fine!" Ally snapped, "I'll see you fifth." With that, she hung up, leaving Leo, Shane, and Austin all confused. "What the hell happened between the two of you?" Leo glared, crossing his arms as he waited for an answer.

"One out of the two of us exchanged very important words to the other, something huge for our relationship, and after they were said, Ally ran out. I haven't seen her since." Austin explained the best he could, giving little information as possible, this was their business to settle.

Leo's eyes widened as he released his jaw. "Are you kidding?"

Austin shook his head, and Shane stood there, hitting on some girl at the lockers before he turned at the confession. "Holy shit!" At the response, the girl's mouth fell open before she slapped him harshly across the face.

"Holy shit." This time it was less enthusiastic.

Austin inhaled harshly. "How could she just run out," Austin gritted his teeth. Leo pondered but came up with nothing. "I don't know, Austin. Just give her a bit of time to think, Ally has never been in a relationship this serious before. Plus, she is going through a lot."

By the look Austin gave Leo, Leo knew that Ally told him about her mother's return.

"I know, I just.. I wanna see her." Leo felt himself pity his friend. "Ha, curse Ally Dawson for being so easy to fall in love with." Shane teased, however; Austin did not find it funny as he shot Shane a look that could potentially send him twelve feet under.

However; it was not a complete lie. Austin had fallen hopelessly in love with Allyson Dawson. In such a short period of time.

/

It was not until the end of the school day that Austin had finally spotted Ally. Spotting her from afar, he took the time to admire her. Dressed in uniform, along with her windbreak, she was currently outside of the gym with the squad all seated on the ground in front of her. Her tight, neat ponytail swayed back and forth as a pretty, pink bow accessorized it, she was talking quickly, giving, what he assumed was, directions for tonight's game.

Getting as close as he could, without being spotted by the head cheerleader, Austin listened and waited patiently. "We are leaving here at 5:30. Make sure you are here a bit early so we can do roll and load the buses. We are wearing our uniforms, but it will be cold, so bring your windbreakers. Also, bring your sweatpants, if it gets too, terribly cold, we will wear those as well. Any questions?"

Authority rolled off of her in waves, and once again, Austin found himself extremely prideful while watching her in the role of a captain. Catching a glimpse of her face, he saw that she was wearing bright pink lipstick to match her bow, and her makeup was freshly done. He chuckled quietly, knowing she hated the color pink but supported the cause for breast cancer awareness for the month of October.

When no one fessed to having any sort of questions, Ally smiled. "Alright, you guys are free to go. See you at 5:30."

With that, Ally watched the squad turn to walk back into the gym, no doubt going to grab their things. Ally sighed, turning around only to come face to chest with Austin. "Shit." The curse word fell from her lips as she jumped backward, holding her chest.

"Austin? Geez, you scared me." Her voice was soft with a bit of humor, hoping to pass the awkwardness. "Sorry, I, um, didn't mean too." Austin was at a loss for words. He had been wanting to see her all day, however; now that he was face to face with her, he did not want the awkward confrontation.

"So.." Austin trailed off, wanting her to at least say something about walking out last night. Ally sighed and opened her mouth to speak. "Moon!"

The couple jumped at the sound of Coach Brown. "Get in here, we are running behind."

Austin sighed, looking towards the coach before turning back to Ally. "I'll see you at the game," Austin stated slowly, and Ally nodded, fiddling with the loose string on her windbreaker. Austin waited for her to say something, but it never came. Gulping, Austin stepped forward, placing a hand on the back of her head to kiss her forehead.

With that, Ally watched Austin walk off.

/

Ally unpacked her gym bag on the sidelines, the wind blowing her ponytail harshly. The overcast sky matched her gloomy mood as she looked around the stadium. The game had yet to start, but people were piling into the stands by the minute.

Sighing, Ally rubbed her arms as the crisp air and wind gave her goosebumps. A storm was blowing in, but they still kept the game scheduled. "Okay girl, what the hell is up?"

Ally turned to spot Trish behind her. Sighing, Ally stood from squatting over her bag. "Nothing, Austin and I are just in a rough spot." Ally admitted, in all honestly not wanting to admit the real situation. "Can you clarify a 'rough spot'."

"T, I just don't really wanna talk about it. Okay?" Ally whispered, feeling the concerns of her relationship taking a toll on her

Trish stared a bit harder before nodding. "Okay, but I'm here if you want to talk." Ally nodded and watched Trish retreat back to her spot.

"Ally?"

Ally pinched her nose, trying hard to keep her temper in check. Turning around, she came face to face with Dallas. Her stare hardened, and she swallowed. "What do you want, Dallas?"

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said the other night. I did not mean them, I'm just angry, jealous even." Dallas declared, and Ally waited patiently. "Austin has everything. The looks, the knowledge, the perfect family, he's the quarterback, he has the perfect girl.." Dallas trailed off, and Ally finally knew what all of this was about.

"Dallas, you are a great guy. You'll find someone someday, and you don't need to compare yourself to anyone, even Austin." Ally comforted, and Dallas nodded. "Thanks, Ally, I-" While Dallas went to speak, he did not get to finish.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Dallas and Ally turned to find Austin, dressed out in pads and uniform, his arms crossed over his chest while his face pursed in anger. "Austin, it isn't what you thi-" Ally went to explain, but Austin rudely interrupted.

"You'll speak to him, but not to me?" Ally tilted her head, her eyes widening. "Dallas, I told you I don't want you around her."

"Dude, chill. I was apologizing for what I said the other-"

"No, you know what, Dallas, you don't have to explain yourself. Austin, you have no say in who I speak too, and who speaks to me," Ally gritted, facing Austin while mocking his stance. Austin glared down at the petite girl. Whether or not who was taller or larger, Ally had a harsh glare, one that would make anyone waver.

However; both were prideful.

"I think I do have a say when the ass can't keep his hands off of you." Austin fired back, and Ally chuckled. "No, no you don't. In fact, you don't have a say in anything I do. I'll talk to whomever I want too, whenever I want too, wherever I want too. I make my own decision, and I can take care of myself." Ally argued, not really sure where the bouts of anger were coming from.

"Oh really? Didn't look or sound like it two months ago when you were calling me a two a.m. because you couldn't keep some pricks hands off of you. Were you able to take care of yourself then?"

The words came out quicker than he anticipated, not giving him a chance to think them through. And, when going to immediately contradict his words, he froze. However; it did not matter; the damage was done.

The couple stilled, neither of them saying anything as the buzzer buzzed, indicating that pre-game was about to take place. Remorse crippled Austin as he watched the hurt taking over Ally. "Wait, Ally, no. I didn't mean that." Austin's words were quick as he stepped forward to reach out for Ally, but she took a step back.

Ally felt the betrayal faster than she could comprehend, refusing to hear the words that Austin had just spilled, however; that's all she heard, over and over again. Just like that, there she was, reliving that night two months ago, feeling helpless and alone. Staring at the ground, she closed her eyes tightly in hopes to push back the tears.

"Ally.." Her name was quiet on his lips. "Go."

The command was simple, but God, it felt like a bullet to Austin's chest. "Go, Austin." The unforgiving look on her face petrified Austin, feeling her slip between his fingertips. "Gorgeous, please." He felt thoughtless.

Ally did not let a word fall from her lips as she bent down to grab her gym bag, and exited the field.

"Moon! Harris! Let's go!"

Austin jumped at the sound of his couch calling his name, but all he could do was watch Ally, leave.

/

Austin sighed in relief as the referees called the game due to the weather that was currently coming in. "Alright boys, pack up and load the buses."

Everyone began to do as ask, except for Austin, who took out his phone to call his parents. "Hey, honey."

"Hey mom, can you sign me out, I want to ride home with you guys," Austin spoke, looking around the field for Ally. Had she really left?

"Sure, we will sign you out, meet us at the car."

As they hung up, Austin began to dial Ally's number, praying to the God's above that she would. His prayers were not spoken as her phone rang only a couple of times before going straight to voicemail.

"Damn it."

"What's up?"

Austin turned to find Trish and Leo, and he was not sure if he wanted to see them or not. "I screwed up," Austin confessed, and Leo and Trish shared a look. "What do you mean," Trish questioned slowly, and Austin recapped the story.

"Oh, Austin." Austin nodded at Trish. "I know, I'm an idiot." Leo nodded his head, not bothering to sugarcoat the situation. "Where did she go?" Austin asked, and Leo and Trish shrugged. "Probably back to the bus, she could not get far considering we are at an away game." Leo pointed out, and Austin's eye widened.

"Of course!"

"Wait! Austin." Austin turned back. "Don't do that, just, let her cool down. Trust me, or she might do something you both regret later." Trish advised, and Austin slumped in defeat. "Yeah. And, remember, her mother is still in town, she's a little out of character right now." Leo spoke, and Trish turned abruptly.

"Penny is back! Why the hell did neither of you tell me!" Leo and Trish batted at each other as Trish laid slaps on his shoulder. "Ow, woman! She told me not to tell anyone, I have to respect her wishes."

Trish rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless. "Okay, I'll just talk to her tomorrow?"

"Yeah, do that. But, contact her through text or something to let her know that, you don't want her to think that you just gave up."

Austin nodded before each of them had to make their way back to their buses.

Ally stared out the window, rubbing her arms as the chill from outside filled the empty bus. However; sooner than normal, everyone piled on the bus. "Where the hell did you go," Leo piped, sitting down next to her as Trish took the seat across from them.

Ally sighed, shaking her head. "Austin and I got into an argument." Leo nodded, pretending he had no knowledge of it. "What happened," Trish encouraged. Ally bite her lip, tears burning her eyes as she laid her head on Leo's shoulder.

"Dallas was apologizing about the other night when Austin came up. Austin got angry, but soon, both of us were arguing with each other about me not being able to take care of myself and doing whatever I want too. Then he said, "Oh really? Didn't look or sound like it two months ago when you were calling me a two a.m. because you couldn't keep some pricks hands off of you. Were you able to take care of yourself then?"" Ally explained, and Leo and Trish's eyes were wide at Austin's words.

"Holy hell," Leo muttered. "I mean, I know he was angry, especially after what happened last night, but I didn't not expect him to use that night against me." Ally admitted, and Leo nodded in understanding.

As the three best friends sat in silence, Ally heard her phone ding. Sighing, Ally picked it up to see Austin had texted her.

 _Ally..I'm so sorry, gorgeous. ~ Aus_

Ally felt her bottom lip wobble.

 _I know..~ Als_

Austin felt his heartbreak. She was hurt, not angry. It was his fault as well.

 _I did not mean it. I should never have said that. ~Aus_

Ally gnawed at her lip, wanting nothing but to forgive him, and to go curl up beside him. But, she could not.

 _I know you didn't, Aus..but.. ~Als_

Austin groaned. Why was he so careless?

 _You have every right to be upset with me, but that doesn't change anything for me..for us? ~ Aus_

Ally sucked in a breath, knowing exactly what he was referring too. Last night.

 _No. ~ Als_

Austin felt a little bit of relief fill him, knowing that she was not thinking of anything rash. That they were still, somewhat, okay.

/

Austin pulled up at Ally's, looking at the clock on the dash. It was currently a little after nine in the morning. Glancing at the coffee in his passenger seat, he grabbed his coat before turning off the ignition.

After their argument last night, Austin let Ally calm down, and sleep on the situation. However; he was not going to give up on getting her to forgive him. Opening the car door, he shivered, looking down at his phone to find the temperature below the forties. **(1)**

Walking through the garage door, Austin found three cars instead of two and became curious as he opened the door that led into the kitchen. He was met with arguing.

"I don't know why you are back, Penny! You left six years ago, with nothing! Now, you just expect us to except you back into our family with open arms!" That was definitely Lester, and Austin held no doubt in his mind that he was about to meet the woman who made Ally's life a living hell.

"Lester, I just want things to go back to normal. I miss you guys, I miss my daughter!"

"Yeah, well, you screwed things up with me, and you definitely screwed things up with Ally." Austin listened from around the corner, not wanting to interrupt their argument. Where was Ally?

"Why can't you just make her talk to me!" Penny yelled, and Austin jumped. "Keep your voice down, Ally's asleep," Lester scolded, pure hatred in his voice. "And, I'm not gonna force my daughter to talk to you. You left, you have to deal with the consequences."

"I'll fight you for custody."

Everything fell silent, and Austin stopped breathing. "Go ahead, Penny. But, I can guarantee you, you are setting yourself up for failure. I'll be damned if I let you take my daughter from me." Lester threat was quiet, but nonetheless deadly.

Austin decided that it was time to break the tension between the former couple. Walking from behind the kitchen wall, Lester and Penny turned to him. "Who is this?" Penny sneered while Lester pinched the bridge of his nose.

Austin stared at the women. Ally was a splitting image, it was uncanny.

"Hey, Austin. She's upstairs asleep." Lester tried to smile but failed. Austin sent him a sympathetic smile before bounding up the stairs.

"Get out." Was the last thing Austin heard Lester say before he made it to the top of the stairs.

Opening Ally's door as quietly as he could, Austin smiled fondly upon spotting Ally. She was curled into a ball, sound asleep atop of her perfectly made bed. The fact that she was dressed in an oversized, turtleneck knitted sweater, skinny jeans that were tucked into Christmas themed socks, which did not surprise him considering her love for the holiday, gave him the idea that she had already been up once this morning.

Placing the coffee tray down at her desk, he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Cupping her cheek, he softly ran his thumb across it. He was not sure what her reaction would be when she woke up, but they had to sort this out.

Slowly opening her eyes, Ally stared up at Austin, her nose turned up in confusion. Ally shivered, the cold from her open window chilling her to the bone. Sitting up, Ally stretched, her messy ponytail casually swinging.

"Austin?" Looking around, she yawned. "What are you doing here?" He smiled sheepishly, gesturing to the coffee. "Bringing coffee in hopes of an apology."

Ally chuckled slightly, and Austin took that as a good sign as he grabbed the coffees. "Can you close the window, please?" Ally asked softly, and Austin nodded after handing her, her coffee.

Ally sipped the warm beverage, closing her eyes in delight at the feeling traveling down her throat. "Is my mom still here?" Ally questioned quietly, and Austin shook his head. "No, she left a minute after I got here."

Ally sighed, relaxing. "Have you been up already?" Austin questioned, sitting beside on her the bed. Ally nodded, crisscrossing her legs. "Dad was supposed to take me out today, just him and I, but then she showed up." Austin wanted to chuckle at the way her eyes rolled.

"Are you two still going out?" Austin questioned, and Ally shook her head. "No, she stresses the both of us out, plus, dad has to work tonight."

Austin nodded. This was good, they were talking like normal like nothing had happened, but they both knew better.

"About last night," Austin started but trailed off. Ally sighed. "I know you didn't mean it, Aus. It's okay."

Austin shook his head, ecstatic that she forgave him, but could not see how. "I shouldn't have said it," Austin claimed, and Ally shook her head. "Maybe, not. But, I know you were upset and angry."

"Ally, that doesn't give me a right too..." Ally's giggle cut him off as she sat her coffee on her bedside. Leaning up, Ally cupped his face with her hands. "Are you trying to make me not forgive you?"

Austin chuckled, shaking his head. "No," he answered, kissing her forehead. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into him.

Burying her face in his neck, Ally inhaled his scent, not having hugged him properly in three days. "And, Als?"

Ally pulled back to look at him. Austin smiled, staring into her chocolate orbs. Pecking her lips, Ally smiled. "Yeah?" Ally questioned as she pulled back.

"I love you too."

And, by God, he meant it.

* * *

 **(1) This is in Fahrenheit, and it's pretty chilly for down south. Lol. It would be below 5-degree Celsius.**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review :)**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	16. Chapter 16

Unlike his usual mornings, Austin waited around the lockers talking amongst his friends. "I really hope the game goes well Friday night," Shane expressed, and Dez slapped him on the back.

"You can't hope, you have to know that it will go well. And, Austin here needs to stay on his best behavior. How many games have you been benched from because of your behavior, Moon," Dez teased, and Austin rolled his eyes.

"Two, or is it three," Leo claimed, joining the group with Trish trailing along behind him. "Actually, it's only been one, and one other time I was almost benched." Austin clarified. The rest of the group laughed, and Austin felt petite arms wrap around his waist from behind. Turning over his shoulder, he spotted Ally, leaning up against his back.

Smiling, he gripped her hands in his, turning back to the conversation.

"If we win Friday night's game, do we go to playoffs?" Trish questioned, and all the football players nodded. "Yep and the other teams that are going to the playoffs are not that tough, we've beaten all of them but that one."

"What one was that," Leo asked, and Dez looked over at Austin. "The one where Austin dropped that pass at the end of the game in the goal."

Austin rolled his eyes at that reminder. "It was only because I did not have my girl on the sidelines to cheer me on," Austin mentioned, and Ally laughed from behind Austin.

"What the hell?" Shane exclaimed, and Ally stepped out from behind her boyfriend. "How long have you been there?" Dez questioned, and Ally chuckled.

"Probably the past five minutes, I figured you all knew."

"No, because you are a freakishly small midget," Shane spoke, and Ally punched him in the shoulder. "Geez, woman. Quit being abusive, is this what Austin deals with?"

Ally rolled her eyes, leaning back into Austin's side. "At least you all don't talk bad about me," Ally joked. "Ha, and be murdered by Austin? No, thanks." Shane spoke dramatically, and everyone laughed at his stupidity.

"Als? Did you finish that chart for Mrs. Christy?" Trish questioned, and Ally nodded, reaching into her bag to hand Trish her folder.

As Trish grabbed it, the bell rang. "And this is why I love you," Trish exclaimed, reaching over to kiss Ally's cheek before heading to first period. Ally chuckled, shaking her head. Looking up, she found Austin staring down at her. "Shall I walk you to class, madam?" His accent was British, something she had not heard since they first started dating.

Smiling, she nodded, linking her arm with his.

"How did your weekend go?" Austin interrogated cautiously, wanting to know if her mother had mentioned anything else about the custody case she had threatened.

Ally shook her head. "No, but my dad is acting funny. Anytime I bring her up, which isn't a lot actually, he becomes ghostly pale. He looks kind of sick. And the other night, he asked me if I ever considered forgiving my mother and living with her. Which would never happen, but he kind of looked scared of the answer." Ally explained, and Austin tensed.

Maybe Penny was not bluffing.

"Are you okay," Ally stopped, looking up at him. He forced a smile, kissing her cheek. "I'm fine. Just worried about you." He informed, and it was not a complete lie. Just not the full truth.

Ally shrugged. "Don't worry about me. My mother will get tired of being pushed away from my father and me, then she will leave. She will be gone soon enough."

With that, Ally leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and walked into her first-period class.

Hopefully, she was not wrong.

/

Austin was sure the faces he was making was not attractive as watched plays from the team they were scheduled to play this Friday night. "Is this what you do in your free time?" Mary questioned, sitting down behind the office desk.

Austin chuckled before nodding. "Pretty much."

Shutting off his laptop, he groaned before stretching. "We really need to find you something to do, because you spend two periods doing nothing," Mary teased, and Austin shrugged. "You know it does not matter to me, I enjoy doing nothing."

Mary laughed. "Of course, you do."

Austin shot her a wink before standing. "I'm going to the restroom." Mary nodded. "Will you grab me a drink from the teacher's lounge," Mary questioned, and Austin nodded as he walked to the back of the office.

It did not take long for Austin to use the restroom, and to grab Mary a drink before he returned. However; stepping into the main office, he was not expected to be met with Penny entering. "Hi, how can I help you?"

Penny had yet to spot Austin, so he remained hidden in the corner. "Hi, yes. I'm here to check out my daughter, Allyson Dawson?"

Mary's face crinkled into confusion, not ever hearing someone call Ally by Allyson. Nonetheless, Mary nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Just give me one moment to figure out which class she is in."

Austin wearied, hoping that Mary checked Ally's release records. Yet, they never checked release records, simply because they had never had this happen before.

Austin stepped from behind the corner. "Mary, I think you should double check Ally's release records."

Penny jumped when spotting Austin, wavering under his glare. Mary turned in her chair, shooting Austin a questioning look. Austin raised his eyebrows, nodding towards the file cabinet. "I'm her mother, I don't think that is necessary. Besides, we are in a rush." Penny tried, however; Austin took it upon himself to check the files.

Pulling out the drawer, it did not take him long to find her folder. Opening it, he smirked. "I'm sorry, Penny. Here it says that only Lester Dawson and Ally herself can release Allyson Dawson from school."

Penny's stare hardened, and Mary flickered her gaze between the two. However; it had already been too late before Austin found the records, Ally entered the office.

Pausing, Ally stared at her mother. "What are you doing here," Ally asked, her face void of any emotion.

"Oh, sweetheart." Ally stepped back as Penny reached out to touch her. Penny halted when meeting Ally's glare. "Your father wants to meet us for lunch. It's important."

Ally gave Penny an overlook before pulling out her cell, no doubt calling her father.

"Hey, honey, what's up?" Lester's voice sounded through the speaker. Penny scratched her wrist nervously. "Hi dad, mom is here at school to pick me up, claiming that you wanted to have lunch with the two of us."

A smirk crossed Ally's face as her father answered her questions over the phone. "Okay. I love you too. Bye."

Upon hanging up the phone, Ally's stare hardened. "I don't know what games you are trying to pull, but I'm advising you now to get the hell out of our lives before I make yours a living hell. I'm done with whatever you have planned. If you wanted a relationship with either of us, then you should have thought about that before you walked out all of those years ago. You are nothing but a selfish, coldhearted woman that I ridded from my life a long time ago, and I have no desire to let you back in it."

Austin felt his smile widened in pride as Ally simply turned to walk out of the office, leaving a baffled Penny Dawson. Mary still looked confused but seemed to finally understand a little bit of the situation.

Penny exited the building quietly. "What the hell was that?" Mary uttered, and Austin laughed. "Family drama." Austin clarified with little information as possible. Mary nodded in understanding.

Taking a seat, Austin pulled out his phone to text Ally.

 _Are you okay? ~ Aus_

It took her less than two minutes to reply, leaving Austin to wonder if she had gone back to class.

 _I'll be okay. Just a little angry. ~ Als_

 _Where are you? Are you back in class? ~ Aus_

 _I may or may not be roaming the halls... ~Als_

 _Ally Dawson, you get back to class right now. ~ Aus_

 _Yes, daddy. ;) ~ Als_

Austin rolled his eyes, a smirk playing his lips. She had been hanging out with Leo too much. She could be a little vixen when she wanted to be, which was not often.

 _Better watch it, baby. ~ Aus_

 _Or what? ~ Als_

Austin laughed.

 _Guess you'll have to see. ~ Aus_

 _;)) ~ Als_

They left the conversation at that.

/

It was the game before the playoffs. The excitement that surrounded the stadium was intense.

Ally stretched along with the rest of the cheer team, loud music filling their ears from the stadium speakers.

Shivering from the crisp, November air, Ally pulled her jacket tighter to her, tempted to put on her sweats to cover her bare legs.

"Als, come here," Leo called, and Ally made her way over to her two best friends. "Let's take a picture, it could be the last game of the season after all," Leo claimed, and Ally felt her heart clench at the sound of that, but never the less, agreed.

"Hey, Sam, will you take this picture for us," Trish questioned, and Sam nodded.

Leo sat in a chair that was for Sarah and placed Ally and Trish on each knee. As they were about to take the picture, the wind blew, causing the girls to huddled closer for warmth.

"There you go." Sam smiled, handing them the phone. They thanked her before studying in the photo. "Aww, I love it," Ally claimed. They all sat, huddled together as they smiled. "My girls," Leo smiled fondly at the picture, and Trish and Ally grinned.

Ally went to speak before someone wrapped their arms around her waist from behind, causing her to squeal as they twirled her. "Playoff game, baby! Hell yeah!"

Ally laughed as Shane threw her upward, catching her off guard. "Ah! Shane!"

Everyone laughed, Austin coming up behind the four. "Okay dude, calm down. Don't break her." Austin chuckled.

"Yeah, we kind of need our captain." Leo reminded. Ally walked towards Austin, placing a kiss on his lips as he wrapped a single arm around her waist. "Oh girl, get it," Trish encouraged. Ally smirked into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Austin's neck. Pulling away, Austin rested his forehead on Ally's.

"Are you feeling okay today? Because I think you are getting a little risqué." Austin teased, and Ally shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." Ally whispered purposely against his lips.

With a shout from Ally, Austin hurled Ally up until her bum was rest on his arms. Ally laughed, well aware that her friends were watching as she leaned down to connect their lips once again. "Damn, something is in the water you guys," Trish announced, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay," Ally pulled away laughing. "We need to stop before Sarah catches me. Besides, the stadium is about to start letting people in." Ally prompted her responsibilities as captain resurfacing.

"Hmm, I don't know," Austin voiced, throwing her over his shoulder, pulling her skirt down to cover her butt. "Austin! You ass!" Ally shouted, and everyone could not help but crack up at the couple.

"You mean your ass? It looks great." Austin declared before placing his palm down on it. "Oh my God, Austin! Put me down right now," Ally exclaimed, embarrassment covering her cheeks. Austin rumbled from laughing as he placed her down, allowing her to smack him in the chest.

"Ass." Ally repeated, and the whistle blew from the field house, calling in the football players. He leaned down to kiss her once more. "I know baby, yours looks great." He repeated, popping her again on the bottom before making his way to the field house, leaving her flabbergasted.

"Honey, don't act shy. I sure as hell would let him do that to me anytime," Leo pronounced, and Ally shook her head, giggles spilling. "Of course, you would." Ally chimed.

/

Ally bit her lip nervously. "O my God, I can't take this." Ally whined, jumping around in her spot.

The score was so close. With two minutes on the clock, the manatees were down by a touchdown. If they were to score, they would win by one point. Looking towards the stands, not a single person was sitting down.

"Come on." Ally shouted towards them, and many followed her as the opposing team kicked off towards them. Austin catching the ball in his hands, he began to run as far as he could before getting tackled.

"First down Manatees!"

Ally closed her eyes, not knowing if she could handle watching if they lost. The clock still ran, and everyone was yelling.

"Time out!" Coach Brown yelled, and the clock stopped. Ally huffed, throwing a mini tantrum on her feet as she waited impatiently for them to finish their game plan.

Ally closed her eyes as the boys took their places back on the field. "Als, calm down. I can't handle you having a panic attack over a football game," Leo cautions, and she shot him a look before turning back to the game, the only thing keeping her interest. While also causing her an immense amount of nervousness.

Dez went to snap, and Ally tensed when it made contact with Austin's hands. Stepping back, he threw it towards Dallas. Ally felt herself cheer loudly as the pass was completed, gaining the manatees another first down.

Dallas kept running towards the goal. "Come on, come on." Ally whispered encouragement. Everyone fell silent.

"Yes!" Ally yelled, her voice shrill and strident, but nevertheless mixing with the mouthfuls of cheers erupting from the crowd.

As the post-game rituals perished, the exhilaration remained. "Congratulations honey," Lester greeted, coming from the bleachers as the rest of the fans came onto the field. Ally smiled widely, hugging her father.

"Thanks, daddy." Ally grinned, pulling away from the hug. However; her smile fell as she spotted her mother behind her father. "Dad?" Ally questioned, not knowing what to think about seeing them together.

"It's not what you think, sweetheart. There are some very important things that she and I need to discuss." Lester informed with little to no information. Ally opened her mouth but paused when not knowing what to say. Worry etched on her face.

"Ally, I have it all handled, okay? You have nothing to worry about. You and I until death do us part." Lester reminded, and Ally chuckled, taking the pinky that her father raised. "Or, until I get tired of my old man," Ally recited the same thing that they had been saying for years now.

Lester beamed, kissing her forehead. "Go see your boy, I'm sure he is waiting. You all go out and celebrate. I'll see you at home, I love you."

Kissing her father's cheek, she bided him a goodbye before running towards Austin.

Austin waited alongside Shane, Dez, and Dallas. When she made it to him, he gripped her by the waist, hoisting her into the air. She shrieked, laughing as he placed her on her feet. "We are going to playoffs, baby," Austin voiced, and Ally smiled while laughing. Gripping his face in-between her hands, Ally kissed his lips softly.

"I'm so proud of you," Ally glimmered, and Austin's smile widened. "Okay, lovebirds. We are going out for pizza to celebrate, you guys coming," Shane asked Ally, Leo, and Trish. The three looked at each other before nodding.

"Great, we are going to Phillips'" Dez informed, and everyone nodded before parting to go separate ways.

/

Everyone at the table laughed, the entire restaurant turning to glare at the gathering teenagers. However; no one paid attention to anyone, just each other, celebrating the win of tonight.

Ally choked slightly on something that Shane mentioned across from her. "You have to be the biggest idiot I've ever met," Ally insulted lightheartedly, and everyone around her agreed.

"What? It's true," Shane defended. "She should not have flirted with me."

"Shane, just because a pretty girl talks to you, does not mean that she automatically has an interest in you," Dallas advised. "Dallas, you are one too talk. You are worse than me." Shane fired back, and everyone agreed.

"Yeah, yeah," Dallas mumbled as he took a sip of his coke. Austin leaned to whisper something in Ally's ear, and she smiled as she reached over to dip her pizza into the sauce on his plate.

This felt natural. It was what a normal teenager would classify as the ultimate Friday night. Ally could not feel more content. She was sitting with amazing friends, pigging out on pizza as they celebrated the most important thing in their lives at the moment.

Austin squeezed her thigh with the hand that rested on it under the table, catching her in deep thought. "Whatcha thinking about?" Austin asked, and she just smiled, shaking her head.

"Nothing much, superstar," Ally claimed, grabbing the pepperoni off his plate, knowing that he did not eat them.

"What am I gonna do with you, Dawson." Austin shook his head. She winked as she popped another pepperoni into her mouth. "Sexy," Austin confirmed, and she laughed loudly, causing another round of glares from the bystanders.


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm convinced that you are pacing a hole in the floor to China," Austin muses from the sofa, watching his girlfriend move from one side of the room to the other.

"Austin. This is not funny. How am I gonna survive this Thanksgiving? I can't handle my father's parents." Ally expressed, running her perfectly manicured fingers through her hair. "You mean your grandparents," Austin laughed, taking another sip of his water.

Ally glared, before walking over to him, sitting across his lap. Leaning against the arm of the couch, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Ugh," Ally groaned, and Austin could not contain his smile as he rubbed her back.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Austin soothed his uneasy girlfriend. "You don't understand. They are awful. Judgment is all they know, plus, they love my mother. Did I also mention that the bitch is spending Thanksgiving with us for God knows why, and my father goes into egotistical mode due to his hypercritical parents? Grandma tries to buy me these expensive outfits that belong in the thirties, and nothing I do pleases my grandfather. Did I also mention that my mother is spending Thanksgiving with us, like, what the hell?"

Austin could not his laughter as Ally ranted speedily on his lap. "Austin," Ally smacked his chest lightly, and he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, you are right. It is not funny. But, can you calm down a little bit? I'm sure it will all be fine. Why don't you do what your dad suggested, call Leo and Trish to come out to calm your nerves and have dinner."

"Nope, they are out of the picture. They said no way, when hearing about, not only my grandparents planning to be here, but my mother as well." Ally explained, and Austin raised an eyebrow.

"Are they really that bad?" Austin questioned, and Ally's eyes widened comically as she nodded. "Yes. My grandparents don't necessarily like them, they don't like any of my friends," Ally let her eyes roll. "You can back out now if you'd like."

Austin chuckled once more, patting her thigh. "No, I'm here to make sure you don't have a breakdown."

Ally sighed, taking Austin's glass of water from his hand. Austin shook his head in amusement as he watched her sipping on it. "I just might."

Maneuvering herself from Austin's lap, she made her way to her vanity. "Now, to make myself presentable for my family." Ally muttered, and Austin walked towards her, leaning down to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

"You look gorgeous no matter what." He kissed the side of her temple. "I'm gonna go down to see if your father needs any help while you get ready."

Ally turned her neck to look up at him, bring her hand up to guide his lips down to hers. "You are amazing, you know that?"

He smirked, sending her a wink as he left her bedroom.

Turning back to the mirror, she stared at her blank canvas of a face, tangled hair, and pajamas.

"Ugh."

/

"Good morning, Mr. Dawson. Do you need any help?" Austin greeted, stepping into the kitchen. Lester jumped slightly as he was bent over to grab a pan from underneath the stove. "Oh, Austin. When did you get here? I did not see or hear you come in." Lester wiped the thin layer of sweat rest on his forehead with the back of his hand.

"A little over thirty minutes ago. I've been consoling your daughter about Thanksgiving dinner." Austin enlightened, and Lester snickered. "Yeah, she freaks out a little bit every year. I'm sure more so this year knowing that her mother is attending."

"Why is she, if you don't mind me asking." Austin interrogated lightly as he handed Lester a mixing bowl.

"Penny is fighting me for custody of Ally," Lester whispered, staring down at the empty bowl in front of him. Austin swallowed, tensing. "And, what does that mean?" Austin hesitantly asked.

"I'm fighting her, obviously. But, I'm trying to come up with some kind of agreement so we won't take this to court."

"What about Ally? Does she not have a say?" Austin gritted.

"Technically, yes. She is going on seventeen, she has a right in saying who she wants to live with, according to the laws in Florida. However; just because she is seventeen, mature, and is capable to make a decision like that, Penny can still fight and it can get messy. I don't want Ally to have to deal with that, especially after what she has had to go through these past four months." Lester expressed, irritation clear in his voice.

"You have to be kidding." Austin muttered, sitting at the bar. "What kind of mother does this to her own daughter, her family."

Lester shook his head, sighing. The frown lines on his face were more prominent.

"I don't know, but I'm trying to keep it as stress-free as possible. I'm thinking that if I keep Penny around, two things will happen. One, she will come to a peaceful agreement and not take this too court. Two, see how much Ally despises Penny and leave. As harsh as that sounds for the both of them, my hands are tied." Lester fretted.

"You are a lawyer." Austin trailed, and Lester nodded. "That is true, and I have the upper hand. There is no doubt I can win this. Being a lawyer, doing this court case through my lawyer firm. I have the upper hand, but, I just really, really don't want to pull Ally through this. Court cases, custody cases for that matter, they can be the worse. Especially if both parties are relentless. And, I don't know how serious she is about this."

Both became silent. "Can you, can you not tell Ally about this? I'm not asking you to keep secrets from her, I just…" Lester hesitated, and Austin nodded in understanding.

"I understand," Austin whispered, and Lester nodded, sending him a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Austin. Aren't the fathers supposed to hate the boyfriends?" Lester joked, and Austin chucked. "I suppose that you and I can make an exception?" Austin quizzed, and Lester nodded, a smile playing his lips.

"With everything that you have done for my daughter, of course," Lester confirmed, patting him on his shoulder.

The doorbell rang, and Lester jumped. "Someone is early." He panicked, and Austin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Someone is early. No one was supposed to be here until twelve."

However; when both men looked at the clock, it read eleven fifty-nine. "Shit." He grumbled.

"I guess I got it." Ally announced, coming down the staircase. "Thank you, honey," Lester yelled from in front of the stove.

"Oh, Allyson. You look lovely."

"Grandma, Grandpa."

Austin wanted to laugh at the lack of interest in her voice. He could picture perfectly the distaste that crossed her face although he could not see her. "Please, follow me into the kitchen. Let me take that from you."

It was not long before they made their appearance. Austin winked in her direction, taking in her outfit choice. A black, elbow length blouse that tucked into a maroon skirt that fell two inches above her knees. Her simple, strappy black heels clicked on the hardwood floors. He appreciated her figure as she busied herself with things amongst the kitchen.

"Mother. Father." Lester greeted, and they did the same.

"Son, nice place you have here. Even the decorating." The grandmother claimed, and Lester thanked them.

"I can't take all of the credit, Ally is the mastermind behind a majority of the décor."

"That's because she takes after her grandmother."

Ally smiled, clearing her throat before sending a small smile.

"That is very true, Nancy. Lord knows that she did not get the decorating gene from me, no wonder they redid the place after I left."

That would-be Penny Dawson.

A scowl immediately took over Ally's face as Austin smiled gently. "Oh, Penny. How lovely to see you, darling." Lester's parents greeted. Apparently, they did not hold the same grudges towards the older brunette.

"Now, Allyson. Dear, who is this handsome, young man. I'm assuming he is your company?" Nancy interrogated.

Ally laughed lightly, walking over behind Austin to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is my boyfriend, Austin Moon. Austin, this is my grandmother, Nancy Dawson, and my grandfather, Larry Dawson."

"It's nice to meet you, son." Larry stuck his hand out. Austin returned it, while standing. His father always taught him manners. A firm handshake was one of them.

"Aww, he seems like a very nice, young man, Ally. You did great," Nancy winked, and Ally giggled.

"Wait, this is your boyfriend?" Penny probed. Ally turned, raising an eyebrow to her mother. "Yes. Who did you think he was?" Ally examined, and Penny stared at Austin behind Ally. "What?" Ally spoke, more aggressively.

"Nothing, nothing. I just thought you two were friends." Penny replied, and Ally furrowed her eyebrows, but ignored her mother nonetheless.

"Ally, baby. We are home."

Ally's eye lit up as she heard Leo's voice sound from the living room. Soon, she spotted both Leo and Trish walking into the kitchen. "O my gosh!" Ally paced herself hastily towards them, Leo embracing her as he twirled in her a circle before passing her too Trish.

"What are you two doing here?" Ally exclaimed. "To see that beautiful smile on your face." Trish appealed, as she kissed both of her cheeks. "Aww," Ally cooed, hugging the both of them tightly once again.

"I'm so happy you are here." As Ally leaned to hug them once again, it lingered. Austin shook his head, knowing that she was whispering something in their ear, probably along the lines of 'thank you two for saving me'.

"Ally, who is this?" Larry interrogated, his voice firm. "Grandpa, you've seen these two before, it's Leo and Trish. My best friends since the beginning of high school." Ally apprised, and Larry took a sip of his scotch with no source of recognition. Ally shook her head, no bothering to explain or argue.

Taking the dish that Trish brought, she walked back towards the counter. "Hey, Mr. D" Trish addressed, and Lester smiled, bringing the two into a small hug. "Hey kids. How are you two, I felt like I haven't seen you two in forever."

"That's because you are always working." Leo publicized, and Lester nodded.

Penny stared at the four friends that sat at the bar. "So, Allyson. What are you doing now? I see that you are a cheerleader, head cheerleader at that." Penny grilled, fixing herself her own cup of scotch.

Ally stared at her mother, boredom crossing her face. "Yes, I am."

"I also see that Austin here is the quarterback of the football team. How nice." Penny's grin brightened, looking proudly at her daughter.

"Aww, Ally. Look at you, living the life." Nancy joined with Penny, and Ally rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess so."

"No, that's something to be proud of, honey. I know I am." Penny disagreed, and Ally rested her forearms on the bar, ultimately challenging her mother that stood across from her. "Really, that's all you are proud of?" Ally inquired, and Austin shot Leo and Trish a worried look.

"Why wouldn't I be, and what else? My daughter is a living, breathing Hallmark movie." Penny tittered, and Nancy smiled fondly.

"What about my grades, mom? My accomplishments? My activities? The fact that I nearly have a perfect attendance. Multiple community service hours." Ally spoke sharply, putting Penny in her place.

"You should be proud that the friends I have are loyal, understanding, and caring. My boyfriend and I have a remarkable relationship that many don't get. That my father manages to support the both of us, all the while being there at every event that he can possibly make no matter how many relentless hours he has worked before."

Everyone fell silent, listening to Ally's eerily, faint disputes towards Penny.

"My status shouldn't matter to you. My friends' and boyfriends' statuses shouldn't matter to you. That's not what you should be proud of, but hey, if that is what you are proud of, I'm glad that I could accomplishment all of that without you around."

The three friends looked at one another.

This Ally standing before Austin was unrelenting with words. While her mother more than deserved it, he wasn't aware that she could sling words with such force.

Everyone fell silent, and the doorbell rang once again. Ally smiled sweetly out of mockery.

"Must be Aunt Amanda. Let me get that."

/

Apart from Ally's typical, yet; cold attitude that was directed towards her mother, everything settled down.

Family filled the house, all conversing and drinking while Lester finished dinner before they eventually sat to eat. Everything seemed normal, like any other family on Thanksgiving Day, coming together to eat a dinner, grateful for each other's presence. Football played on the flat screen in the living room, curtesy to Austin, Ally's cousin, Alex, Leo, Trish, and the rest of Ally's uncles.

Ally was back and forth between greeting guest and helping her father cook dinner, no doubt that, that was their usual routine. Little ones played in the backyards, the parents constantly yelling to make sure they had on shoes and jackets.

The house was cozy, inviting, heated, the smell of pumpkin pie sealing itself inside the house. All and all, everything was a standard holiday event inside the Dawson's household, however; Austin could sense something off. Tension in this family ran deep.

Dinner went smoothly, Ally mainly focusing herself with Austin, Leo, and Trish. Afterward, the three forced Ally to relief herself, along with Lester telling her that she could host her own company, although, they did not need it.

"Your family isn't that bad." Austin voiced as they made their way towards Ally's room. Ally chuckled dryly as she sat upon the end of her bed. "You haven't been around them enough, Moon." Trish declared, and Leo nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, once they are out of the 'my life is amazing' act in front of their family, they are extremely judgmental." Leo told.

"Gah, it's like you three are the same person. I swear." Austin affirmed astonished. "I don't know how to keep up."

"It should be easy then," Ally winked with a smirk. Austin glared at her teasingly. "Shut up."

The three friends shared a laugh, making Austin shake his head.

"So, the famous Penny Dawson is back in town. Gosh, I haven't seen her in years." Trish recalls, stunned at her thought.

"Yep." Ally gulped a sip of her lemonade. "In the flesh, I'm just waiting for her to stir up dust when she leaves again."

A knock of the door sounded, but before Ally could answer, it opened to reveal Penny. Speak of the devil.

"Hi. Ally, may I speak to you for a moment." Penny examined quietly. Ally stared.

"No."

The intensity of discomfort suddenly formed, thicker than a knife could cut. "Ally, please."

Ally shrugged. Austin studied.

It was like she closed off any sort of sentiment when her mother acknowledged her. She truly uninvolved her mother from her life.

"Anything you want to say can be said in front of them."

Blunt. That was all Ally was.

"Right. Best friend type thing." Penny muttered, coming to stand in front of the bedroom. In front of eight eyes.

"Ally. I'm trying here. I don't know how else to tell you. I don't know what else to do." Penny pleaded, and Ally scoffed, standing. The both stood at the same height, however; Ally had an inch leverage due to the heels.

"Don't you get it? I don't want you to try. I don't want you here. All you are doing is causing trouble, stirring up old emotions and drama that my father and I don't need in our life. You left, you haven't been here, so you don't get to come in my life after nearly seven years of being MIA. I don't know how else to tell you. Leave, before you get whatever heart you have left broken."

Ally's voice was calm after she finished, but her eyes held a fire of fury.

"You are a lot like me."

Ally recoiled, taking a step back.

"I'm nothing like you."

Penny smiled, it was genuine. "But, you are. You are fiercely independent, you don't need someone to make your decisions for you. You seek opportunities with open arms, not afraid to try anything new, not letting anything hold you back. Words don't bring you down, simply because you have the mindset, that I taught you, to not let them. Maturity and energy falls off of you in waves, confidence in who you are. I taught you all of that, Ally."

Tears wailed in Ally's brown eyes.

"You haven't taught me anything." Her voice cracked, for once she was timid.

"Darling, I have. Your father told me about your plans for the future. College and your career. Yale or Harvard will accept you, no doubt, but did you think about the people here. Whenever you get that acceptance letter, nothing will matter but you. Your friends, your boyfriend, your father; all of them will be a distant memory whenever you get that opportunity that you won't be able to refuse. You won't have the heart to tell them, so, you will pack a bag, book a flight, and never look back. No words spoken, no calls, and no letters."

Ally was frozen. Both women know directly nose to nose.

"I know that, you father knows that, and your friends should know that. Because, that was me, six years ago. I had an opportunity that no one would understand, and I could not turn it down. So, I left. You are just like me, sweetheart. My sweet, beautiful Allyson. You've always been like me, I've taught you so much. You just have yet to realize it."

As Penny finished, Ally slapped her.

Penny retreated, taking ahold of her cheek that was now throbbing.

"Penny, get out." A voice was heard from outside the room, only out in the hallway from Ally's bedroom.

Lester was now standing in the door way, staring at his daughter who was immobile. Penny shot Ally a harsh, yet; knowing glare before turning on her heel to remove herself from the room, and the house.

"Honey?" Lester called, stepping forward. Ally swallowed, shaking her head as she pushed passed her father gently to exit her bedroom, grabbing a coat as she left.

On instinct, the three got up to follow, but Lester stopped them.

"I know you guys want to go and comfort her, but just give her a little bit. Okay? Penny sparks something different in Ally, and I don't want her hurting any of you with her being in this state." Lester lectured, and the three shared a glance before slowly nodding.

/

Austin was the first to arrive, and the last one to remain at the Dawson house hold to help Lester tidy up the kitchen.

Whenever Ally had left her bedroom, she roamed all around the property, house, and block before returning home, only to head up to her bedroom. While Trish and Leo's parents demanded them home, Austin stayed, Mimi and Mike understanding the situation. Although, he was pretty sure it was because of the adoration they held towards the brunette beauty.

Austin stared up at the stairs, debating on whether or not to try her door again. "Austin, I know it is difficult, but just let her think. She'll come down soon."

As if the she-devil knew that the two men in her life were talking about her, she bounded softly down the stairs and into the kitchen. Turning, Austin could not help but smile at her second outfit choice of the day.

With sweatpants hanging from her hips, one of Austin's hoodies, and her hair thrown on the top of her head, she smiled softly, twirling Austin's keys on her index finger. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you maybe, want to go to the book store with me? They are having a sale." Ally enquired, barely above a whisper, towards Austin. He let a breathy chuckle fall from his lips as nodded. "Sure, gorgeous."

Her smile brightened a tiny bit, and Austin found himself only wanting to do anything that would reward him with that same reaction. "Yay, lets' go."

Before he could say anything, she was already off to his truck. Austin turned to Lester who smiled tenderly at the actions of his daughter.

"Go, don't keep her waiting. She might chop your head off if you make her miss all of the good books." Lester kidded, and Austin chortled before heading outside after grabbing his leather man.

As he hopped into the drivers' side, he found that Ally had already turned on the heat, and was sitting crisscrossed in the passenger seat on her cell. "Your leather man." Ally noted, and Austin shot her an accusing look.

"Yep. I just got it back." Austin taunted, and Ally let a small grin play at her lips as they bickered back and forth until arriving at the bookstore.

"Wanna coffee?"

"Yes, please." Ally answered delicately, staring at the numerous number of bookshelves that were placed neatly throughout the modernized store. Austin bit his lip to hide his smile, she was too cute for her own good sometimes.

"Go, before you drive yourself crazy." Austin encouraged, and Ally snorted before nodding. Austin watched as she headed for her destination until she stopped, mentally noting where she was, he made his way to grab the coffee.

Making his way to her, he jumped as she popped up on her tip toes to see across the top of the shelve. "They have the book _Atticus_ " she exclaimed excitedly. Austin shallowed his bouts of laughter, making his way around the book shelf with her coffee.

"Thank you," she thanked adeptly, taking a sip of the warm beverage.

Together, the couple walked around the bookstore until it was ten until closing. Laughing and conversing about the multiple books of Ally's interest. He found her incredibly adorable and amusing in this state. Hyped up on coffee and the aroma of new books.

Currently, they were sitting on the floor with Ally on one end of the aisle while Austin sat a little way down from her, looking through some books as well.

"Baby, they are closing in a few minutes." Austin spoke regretfully, not wanting to ruin the only thing she seemingly enjoyed today.

Ally sighed, closing the book that she was halfway through. "I'm getting this." She claimed, standing. He chuckled, grabbing the rest of the books that she claimed she was getting.

"I think you are a book worm." Austin insulted as the cashier rung them up. Ally looked up at Austin behind her. "I am." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Here you go, Als." The cashier, who apparently knew Ally, although it did not surprise Austin, handed her the bag.

"Thanks, Marcus. Have a good night."

"Marcus, huh? Seems like a good guy, cute, handsome, bookworm." Austin annoyed Ally, poking her in the arm with each compliment. "I know right, I'm so happy you agree with me. Makes my decision of asking him out so much more appealing." Ally provoked playfully as they reached the truck in the deserted parking lot.

"Girl, you better hit that."

Ally doubled over in laughter, clenching her stomach as she sat the bag of books beside the tire. "O my God." Ally breathed in-between giggles. "Since when did you become Leo!"

Austin stared at her, rolling his eyes wholeheartedly until she calmed her laughing fit. When Austin thought she was done, he made his way to her until she started up again.

"It isn't that funny." Austin chuckled, her laughter becoming contagious.

Ally leaned against the door of the truck, catching her breath. "It totally was." Ally argued, and Austin raised an eyebrow. Ally shrugged, a grin teetering on her lips. Austin walked closer, enclosing her between him and the truck.

"Yes, superstar?" Ally whispered, placing her hands on her chest. Austin flashed her a million-dollar smile, reaching up to cup the side of her neck. "I love you," he muttered sweetly, and Ally's smile softened. She reached up, placing her lips to his delicately, pouring her emotions into the kiss.

Austin rested his other hand on her hip, caressing where her shirt had risen slightly. Ally deepened the kiss, dazing Austin as he followed, Ally never being one to take the leap. Austin nibbled her bottom lip as he pulled away, allowing Ally to rest her forehead on his.

"We should probably head home." Austin insisted, and Ally scrunched her nose in distaste but agreed.

"You aren't your mother. You know that, right?" Austin reassured, his hand resting on her thigh as they drove down the highway. Ally looked away, out the window. "I'm scared I might be."

Austin took one look at her before turning back to the road, concern burning in his eyes. Urging to her explain.

"I am independent, Austin. I'm too independent sometimes. I think about my future, my opportunities and nothing else matters to me. So, what if one day, I do get that acceptance letter, I do get that opportunity to leave, and I feel trapped to the point where I just leave without notice." Ally expressed, her words coming out faster than her hands could frail.

"Ally, you are not your mother. Okay? You could never leave your family; you could never leave your father, Leo, Trish, or me high and dry, leaving us to wonder where you are. You are not a selfish person, don't let her fool you into believing that you are." Austin argued with her forcefully.

"But, what if I do, Austin." Ally snapped harshly, and Austin's gaze hardened. "You won't."

"You don't know that!" Ally yelled. "Neither do you, Ally." Austin barked powerfully.

Suddenly, it felt as if this argument was suffocating and childish. As they pulled into Ally's drive, Ally hopped out, no words being vocalized.

"Seriously, Ally." Austin followed.

Lester stared at the two teenagers in worry as they passed through the house, Ally bounding up to her bedroom.

"Ally." Austin tried again as he walked through her door to find her putting the books she bought on the shelf. "I'm not gonna let you believe you are capable of doing what your mother did." Austin lectured.

Ally stopped what she was doing, turning to him, not bothering to say a word. Staying completely still while not saying a word caused the tension to die as Ally began to stifle a grin. Austin bit his lip, trying to contain the bubbling laughter in the pit of his stomach.

Ally broke first, a giggle slipping past her lips. Austin followed suit.

"What the hell are we doing?" Austin spoke when they calmed themselves, sitting in the middle of Ally's bed, facing one another.

Ally sighed, "I have no idea." Her smile now gone.

"Hey," he whispered, tilting her chin up to look him in the eyes. "I don't care what you say. You are not your mother. It's okay that you are independent, it's okay that your main focus is on your studies and future career, it should be. But, at the same time, you love your family, your friends. You have an amazing level of intelligence, confidence, and an energy that everyone loves feeling whenever you are around. Not letting words affect you is what you learned from your mother, so what, you should be using that skill against her in this moment." Austin ranted fiercely in just above a whisper.

"All of those qualities are what I love about you, and there is so much more to you. Your mother has just not been around to get the privilege of knowing like we do."

Ally barely smile, but it was there as she stared down at the comforter.

"I haven't felt very confident and independent the past few months." Ally joked quietly, and Austin frowned, pulling her into his lap.

"I know you haven't, but just remember that you are. Everyone is allowed to have a rut in their life." Austin confirmed, kissing her forehead.

Ally looked up at him.

"I'm glad that I have you to depend on when I can't depend on myself." Ally whispered.

He was so in love with this girl.


	18. Chapter 18

**Merry Christmas my loves! I hope you've all had an amazing Christmas so far! And as my Christmas present to you, I have an update! I also have a disclaimer.**

 **This entire chapter contains Auslly fluff to the max! Major fluff.**

 **So, be ready. I might have to change it to rated m, but I doubt it, it isn't very vulgar. Either way, here you go!**

* * *

Sadness was all that was felt as Ally watched her boys sitting in a huddle on the field. While cheers of excitement sounded from the opposing team, mummers and tears were what filled the air on the Manatees side.

Soon, the boys released from the huddled, standing before walking over to the sidelines. Ally felt her heartbreak spotting Austin, looking defeated. As he came to a stop in front of her, he sighed heavily, fiddling with his helmet in his hands. Tears sprung to his eyes, as well as many other players, especially the seniors.

Ally frowned, pulling him into a hug. He slumped into her comfort, overcome with the bittersweet moment. That would be the last game he ever played with his team.

Ally felt tears leak onto her should, and she gripped him tighter to her. Kissing the side of his head, she ran her fingers up and down his spine. As she silently looked around, she felt her own tears. All the boys looked baffled.

Austin pulled away with a sniffle, placing his forehead against hers. She kissed his nose, reaching to wipe his tears away with her thumbs.

They pulled away from each other, Austin spotting his parents making their way towards him. "You did great, sweetheart," Mimi assured, kissing his cheek. He stayed silent, as his father patted him on the back before pulling him into a hug.

Shane and Dez made their way towards them, Ally pulling them each into a comforting hug as well. "You guys did do great." Ally confirmed, and Shane and Dez each threw an arm her shoulders. "Thanks, Als. Always cheering us on when you don't have too." Shane joked as best he could. Ally smiled, he was trying to make the best of the situation, but she could still see the faint tear stains on his cheeks.

"Always and forever," Ally verified, proudly, wrapping her arms around each of their torsos.

Austin turned to spot the three. He smiled softly in their direction. "You good, Aus?" Dez questioned, and Austin sighed while nodding. "Yeah, just sucks. Being our last year."

Both the football players on either side of Ally nodded.

Trish and Leo walked up.

"Well, my loves, turn those frowns upside down. We still have something to celebrate, you almost made it to state. Therefore; win or lose, we are taking you boys out." Trish announced, and the three football players looked at the three cheerleaders who confirmed it with a nod.

They chuckled before agreeing.

/

Ally struggled with the Christmas tree, not being strong enough to bring it up the stairs from the basement. "Ugh," Ally groaned, sitting on the steps willingly as the box knocked her down once more. Looking around, she felt the frustration grow at all of the boxes of decorations.

Curse her and her father for buying so many.

Staring up at the ceiling, closed her eyes, trying to think of a solution. When only one thing came to mind, she forced herself off the bottom step and up the stairs to the living room.

" _Hello, gorgeous,"_ Austin answered on the third ring, and Ally released a sigh of relief. "Hi, what are you doing today?" She questioned, plopping down on the sectional.

" _I have a feeling you are about to tell me?"_

Ally smiled at his response. "I may need your help." She informed. _"What's up, sweetheart?"_

"So, my dad is out of town, and I'm left with decorating the house by myself. I can't get the boxes up by myself, they are too heavy." She admitted shyly, and she heard Austin laugh.

" _And, that's where I come in."_ He interrogated, but Ally could faintly hear the rustle of him getting around in the background. "Yep, because you love me." Ally primed confidently, he chuckled.

" _That I do. I'll be over in a few minutes, have you had lunch yet?"_

"Umm, no." Ally confessed.

" _Alright, I'll be over in a little bit."_

"Yay! Thank you! Bye!"

She heard a laugh along with a 'you're welcome' before she hung up.

Until Austin arrived, Ally busied herself with dusting, rearranging, and tidying up. Whenever Ally heard the door open, she was just finishing pushing the second part of the sectional against the wall.

"I'm here, baring pizza and refreshments," Austin announced, walking into the living area. Ally turned. "You are officially my favorite person of all time."

Austin scoffed. "I've always been your favorite person."

Ally shrugged innocently, taking a bite of pizza. Austin rolled his eyes whole-heartedly, bending down to grab a piece as well. "Is everything still in the basement?" Austin asked after swallowing, and Ally nodded once again.

"I couldn't get anything past the Christmas tree box that is stuck at the bottom."

Austin snickered, covering his mouth. "Aww, bless it." Ally sent him the middle finger while all he did was wink before walking over to the open basement door.

The day ahead consisted of decorating while watching Christmas movies, dancing to music all the while trying to not trip over the scatter boxes. Austin bickered with Ally about her movie choices while Ally ignored him until it came to his Christmas carols. It was obvious to the eye that the couple did not have the same likings when it came to holiday festivities.

"What about this?" Austin interrogated, holding the red bow to the top of the tree. Ally tilted her head, taking a step back to checking centering. "Perfect."

Austin nodded, the bells on the antlers, that Ally forced him to wear, jingled. Ally looked around before bounding over boxes to the other side of the room, the cotton ball attached to her Santa hat bobbing.

Austin shook his head.

"What?" Ally asked, stilling her movements.

"You are so damn cute." Austin shrugged, turning back to fix the bow. Ally blushed but carried on looking. "Found it!" Ally exclaimed, and Austin jumped, nearly falling off the step stool he was on.

Turning to glare at her, she smiled sheepishly, holding up the garland that she had found.

"Found it." She claimed once again, only this time, quieter.

They both laughed.

With the sun setting and the temperature outside continuing to drop even lower, Austin started a fire while Ally placed the final ornaments on the tree. Before settling down on the couch, Austin placed leftovers on the coffee table and put in another Christmas movie of Ally's choosing.

Ally munched on pizza as her head rested on Austin's chest. "I don't understand how this is your favorite Christmas movie." Austin criticized while continuously running his fingers through her hair.

Ally rolled her eyes wholeheartedly. "It's amazing." Ally did not bother to argue with him. He let out a lighthearted huff that Ally ignored.

Ally sighed in contentment. This was perfect. Her favorite time of the year, and the perfect time to be cuddled on the couch, surrounded by holiday decorations with her favorite person. Ally buried deeper into Austin's side, resting her head where his neck and shoulder met.

Austin kissed her head. "I love you." He whispered, and Ally smiled, that fuzzy feeling returning in her stomach. Ally tilted her head, placing a kiss on his jaw. "I love you too."

Austin kissed her nose, and when he pulled away, Ally connected their lips.

It was not long before one of them deepened the kiss. Reaching out, he pulled her into his lap, Ally sitting up straight to wrap her legs around his waist, the blanket falling to the ground.

Nuzzling her nose with his, he lent forward to capture her lips in his. She responded instantly, tightening her arms around his neck before reaching up to grip his hair. He groaned, nipping her bottom lip while she smirked. God, she loved when he did that.

"Think that's funny," Austin murmured against her lips, and Ally couldn't hold back her giggle. "Just a little bit," she replied, sass covering her tone. He swatted her butt, but she couldn't gasp as he took her lips with his own.

While the kiss wasn't rough or rushed, it wasn't slow or gentle either. It was passionate, something Ally had never thought existed until Austin. He pulled away with her bottom lip between his teeth before retreating down her neck.

Ally let out a tiny breath. This was new. Reaching that little spot between her neck and collarbone, he sucked and Ally felt goosebumps cover her entire body although she was felt as if she were burning.

She felt her mind hazily switch between that night and the present. However, she could tell she was still with Austin. The feeling of his lips on her neck didn't make her want to cower. It made her want to do anything but. Trying to push away the thoughts, she let Austin continue his attack on her neck.

Tilting her head back allowed Austin to kiss down the front of her throat until the barrier of her sweater. He ran his hand up the back of her thigh while bringing himself back up to her lips. Switching their position, Austin laid Ally beneath him on the couch. Moving his hands, he gripped her hip gently before going to travel up her pull over.

 _He gripped the hem of her cheer uniform, ripping it to expose her stomach and he took the advantage of letting his hands travel up further. More tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled against him, thinking of any way to escape. Ally let her eyes wander around the room, hoping to spot something for a defense_ _._

Ally choked on the gasp that escaped her throat. "No, no." Ally spoke frantically, pushing at Austin's chest before moving herself back. Austin swiftly removed himself from her. Watching her carefully and cautiously, he noticed she was back as quickly as she went. It had been the first time in a long time.

She looked up to lock eyes with him, disbelief masking her face. "I'm sorry, Aus.," she whispered, looking down her knees. Anger evident in her voice. He slowly placed himself in front of her.

"Hey, it's okay," he comforted, and she shook her head. "No, it's not. You should be able to have sex with your girlfriend without her freaking out. Hell, you shouldn't have to deal with any of this," she grumbled bluntly. Austin recoiled in shock.

"Ally Dawson. That is not what I want you for. I can wait for as long until you are ready. There is no time limit. I love you, Ally. I'm with you for the long run, nothing else, do you understand me," he ranted, placing a hand on her cheek to force her to look at him.

She relaxed at his word, exhaling while nodding. He didn't bother to speak or argue with her lack of words. He just settled on pulling her into him. And that was how they stayed for the rest of the night.

/

Ally shivered as she walked into the warm bookstore, looking around to spot Leo and Trish already in a booth. Ally sniffled, wiping her cold nose as she sat in front of them. Leo pushed a cup to her, already having ordered for her.

"Here ya go, babe," Leo spoke, and Trish greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, guys." She spoke, taking a sip of the warm beverage. "Ugh, I feel like I haven't seen you two in forever," Trish whined, and both of them laughed. "Between finals and getting ready for Christmas, I haven't had much time to see my girls."

Both Ally and Trish smiled towards Leo.

"But according to Austin's social media, you two have been spending time together," Trish teased Ally, and Ally blushed, knowing she was referring to Austin's snapchat post of her dancing around in her Christmas sweater.

"We have, dad's out of town for a little bit, so I called Austin over yesterday to help me decorate. I can't lift boxes." Ally joked, and the three laughed. "Ooh, did you two get down and dirty," Leo joked, but when Ally looked down at her cup, Leo and Trish looked at each other.

"Okay, what happened?" Leo interrogated, and Ally sighed.

"Before you think that the two of us had sex, we didn't." Ally's voice was stern as she pointed towards them. "Okay, you two didn't have sex, but obviously something happened," Trish added, and Leo nodded.

Ally sighed. "Austin and I were laying on the couch, then a simple peck led to a make-out session, and then all of a sudden, I'm pushing him away repeating 'no' over and over again."

Ally groaned, running her fingers through her hair.

Leo furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you know what you did it?"

Ally bit her lip. "Because of that night. I don't get it. It was one night, I wasn't even assaulted that badly, it shouldn't be affecting me like this."

The two friends sent her looks of sympathy. "Do you know why?" Trish asked softly, and Ally shrugs.

"Austin and I don't get intimate often, hardly ever because of what happened. We greet each other with pecks, mildly kiss when we are alone, and he never seems to touch me. I know it is because he doesn't want to push my boundaries, and after last night, I defiantly know he isn't now." Ally stopped to take a sip of her coffee.

"It's like that night set the tone of our intimate relationship, and I don't know what to do. The assault never bothers me now, I don't ever think about it. But the only thing I remember from that night was how it felt. I remember what it felt like to be pushed against the door, the pain in my head, shoulders, and back, the way his hand felt roaming my body. And it is like when someone pushes me against something, or Austin touches me in a way that my attacker did, it throws me back to that night." Ally explained, finally getting the feeling off of her chest.

Ally felt tears rim her eyes.

"Als," Leo whispered, gripping her hand. Ally sniffled, shaking her head, reaching with her opposite hand to wipe her eyes.

"It sucks. I want to be intimate with my boyfriend. It's sad that Aus and I have been together for almost five months and we can't even make out because of me." Ally whimpered. "I mean, he will get tired of waiting, no matter what he says."

"Ally, don't think that. Austin loves you and would give you the world he could. He is not with you for sex, and he'll wait for as long as you want." Trish scolded.

"Trish is right. I didn't really believe that love exists at our age, but when I watch Austin look at you, there is no doubt." Leo informed, and Ally shot him a confused look.

Leo smiled. "Austin looks at you like you are the only girl in the world, like you are his world. As cliché as it sounds. His smile gets wider, his eyes get brighter, and his overall appearance is happier. He is completely ready to bend at your every need."

"He isn't with you for sex, baby girl. He loves you for you." Leo spoke so passionately, it sounded odd hearing it fall from his mouth. Ally shook her head, wanting to believe him. "When have I ever lied to you?"

Ally thought back to a time Leo had ever lied to her, and could not think of one. Ally smiled slightly. "It's true, Als." Trish jumped in.

Ally breathed. "Maybe it is true."

The other two nodded.

"Now, let's talk about getting Leo a date for the holidays coming up."

The trio laughed before starting to think.

/

Ally double checked everything that she mentally listed.

"Drinks, snacks, movies." Ally counted off item after item until she was satisfied. Everything was perfectly laid out on her coffee table in front of the couch. The twinkling lights on the Christmas tree brightened the room while fire flames danced from the fireplace. Numerous of blankets were piled neatly on the floor while the couch was pushed back to make room.

"Ho, ho, ho."

Ally giggled as she heard Austin come through the front door. Turning around, loud laughter bubbled from her stomach as she caught sight of him. "What? Something funny?" He grinned, enjoying her laughter.

"I thought my sweater was ugly, turns out you might win," Ally commented on his 'ugly' Christmas sweater, which really stuck to its name. Austin shook his head laughing, setting his bag down beside the door before walking over to her.

By the time he wrapped his arms around her waist, Ally had calmed herself. Smiling down at her fondly, Austin leaned down to capture her lips in a firm kiss. Ally leaned into it, sitting her hands on his chest.

As they kissed again, Ally slides her hands up to cup the underside of his jaw. Austin hummed happily, kissing her forehead before bringing his arms to wrap around her shoulders.

"I've missed you," Ally admitted into his chest with only a whisper, almost as if she were afraid to admit it because he would disappear. It had been a good week since the last time they had seen each other considering Austin was on vacation with his family.

"I've missed you," Austin confirmed with another kiss on the top of her head.

The couple stood there for a while, rocking back and forth in each other's embrace until they heard a car door slamming from outside. Ally sighed, hesitantly pulling away from Austin.

"And they've arrived." Ally spoke, waiting for Trish and Leo to pop through the door.

"We are here, this friends 'mas slash sleepover shall commence," Trish spoke.

The couple shared a laugh.

For the rest of the day, the four friends shared details of the latest in their life while binging on pizza and junk food.

"Oh, I love this part," Leo confessed, watching the television intently. Ally shoot him a questioning look from Austin's side. "I thought you hated this one."

"No, I don't hate it. I just think it is the worst one out of the three, I mean, the first two 'Santa Clauses' were the bomb, I don't really understand this one." Leo spoke passionately about the Christmas movies.

The three laughed at their odd friend. Ally groaned, removing herself from the floor and Austin. "I think it is time to exchange gifts, don't you guys think?" Ally spoke, grabbing another piece of pizza.

"Yes!" Leo shouted, springing up from his spot. Ally nearly choked while Trish yelled. "Leo!" They screamed. He shrugged, rushing to beneath the tree.

"Okay, you all have to open my gifts first," Leo announced, passing them each a gift. They all looked at each other.

"How about we all pass them out," Ally suggested, not wanting all the attention on her when they opened her gifts to them. Leo exhaled but agreed, grabbing the rest of the gifts from beneath the tree to give to them.

"O my gosh, Als, I've been wanting this!" Trish exclaimed happily, holding up a jacket that she had been eyeing. Ally smiled towards her before she opened Leo's gift.

"Oh, Leo." Ally spoke in surprise, holding up the Sam Edelman, black leather, knee-high boots in her hands. "These aren't cheap."

"Ally Dawson, stop fretting over the price. You are my best friend and I shall spoil you, the both of you."

Ally sighed but thanked him nonetheless. They were beautiful boots.

By the end of the night, Ally had a new pair of boots, a pair of earrings from Trish, and yet another gift from Leo, it being a set of gorgeous, trio bracelets for Trish, himself, and her.

"Leo, these are beautiful. Thank you." Ally smiled fondly, leaning over to kiss his cheek along with Trish. "Well, the three of us don't have anything that links us together, thought I would change that."

Trish and Ally kissed his cheek once more before Ally crawled over to grab Austin's present from herself.

"Okay, superstar. Close your eyes." Ally order her boyfriend who was moving his gifts from Leo and Trish out of his lap, leaning against the couch. Austin rolled his eyes wholeheartedly but followed her orders anyways.

Ally smiled, setting the box on his lap. Opening his eyes, Austin opened the box to find a sterling silver, heavyweight bracelet. "Als."

"Look at the inside."

Austin turned it over to spot the engraving on the inside of the bracelet. Austin smiled tenderly, reading over a saying she repeated often.

 _Cheering you on forever and always. I love you, superstar. ~ Als_

Austin looked up at her to find her staring at him warmly. "Come here." Ally laughed, crawling towards him as he pulled her into a large hug. Kissing her cheek, Austin watched Trish capture the moment on her phone.

"Thank you, gorgeous. I love it. I love you."

Ally smiled into his neck. "But, I still have your gift."

Ally pulled back, confusion etched on her adorable facial features. "I haven't already gotten it?" Austin shook his head.

"Nope."

With that, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a little box. Ally shoot him a look but leaned back to where she was straddling his legs. Grabbing the box, Ally opened it and was breath taken by what she saw.

She stared down at a simple, golden bar. Engraved on it was 'gorgeous' with a single diamond at the end of it.

"Aus. Thank you."

"Turn it over." He ordered, and Ally spotted a word in another language. _Tu M'as ~ Austin_

"What does that mean?" Ally questioned. Austin smiled, gripping her face between his hands to bring her down to whisper in her ear. "Tu M'as means you have me in French." He whispered, and Ally felt tears burn the outside of her eyes.

Austin brought her back to face him as she closed her eyes. Placing a lingering kiss on her forehead, he wiped the single tear that had fallen.

"You weren't supposed to beat me on Christmas gifts, the girls are always supposed to win." Ally teased, hiding the tears in her voice as she cleared her throat. Leo and Trish simply thought they were having a moment.

Austin laughed. "Nope, I think I win this year."

Ally rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

He chuckled.

"Okay, lovebirds. Leo and I are hitting the hay." Trish announced, and Ally laughed, standing to kiss them each on the cheek. "I'll have breakfast ready when you two come down in the morning."

The nodded, bidding the couple goodnight before heading upstairs to the spare bedroom.

Ally settled back down on Austin's lap, curling into him. "Where are you sleeping tonight?" Ally whispered into his ear, and he rubbed her back. "Wherever you want me too, gorgeous."

"With me?" She questioned softly, and Austin turned his head to make sure there was no hesitation.

"If you want me too," he mumbled against her head. She nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist. He chuckled, picking her up while she buried her head in the crook of his neck. As he walked around to turn off lights and lock the doors, Ally was amazed her could carry her with ease.

On the way up the stairs, Ally took a bold move and attached her lips to the side of his neck. Austin inhaled sharply. "Als." His warning was hesitant as he closed her bedroom and locked it.

Ally brought her head back, attaching her lips with his. Austin let out a groan, slipping his hands down to her bottom before walking over to her desk to place her on it. Her shirt rose, allowing him to feel the outline of her panties against her skin.

Ally sighed when he swept his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking for entrance.

The kiss was sweet and passionate; a mixture of love, lust, and everything in between.

A spark of electricity shot through Ally when he pulled away, taking her bottom lip between his teeth.

Ally ran her hands up his chest and into his hair, gripping his locks between his fingers. Austin let out a growl, attacking her lips again as she brought his head back towards her.

While his kisses were rough and tousled, his touch was gentle and hesitant. His hands traveling up and down her sides, not passing her thighs which were bare considering she was only in her undergarments and an oversized tee.

Austin removed himself from her lips, placing kisses down her neck.

Suddenly, Austin pulled away. "Ally, baby, we have to stop." Ally halted her movements. "Why?" Her breath came out in soft pants, but he still caught the hurt in her voice.

Austin stared down at the girl he loved, in no way would he ever want to hurt her.

"Gorgeous, if we don't stop, I won't be able too. I don't want to push you."

Ally felt her heart swell. Bringing him back down to her lips, this kiss was much more gentle.

"Aus. I don't think I want to stop."

As those words left her lips, Austin froze. Opening his eyes, he coaxed her to open hers as well, looking for any sort of doubt. "Ally, you don't have to if you don't-" Ally cut him off with a kiss. "Austin, I don't want to stop." Her request was firm.

Austin felt conflicted. But looking down at her, the need, want, and love in her eyes pulled him closer to her until she was wrapped around him like a vine again.

Walking them over to the bed, Austin laid her gently on it. "Ally."

"Austin. I'm sure."

Austin took a deep breath. Connecting their lips.

Austin carefully lowered himself in between Ally's legs, focusing on deepening the kiss slowly. Ally mewled when he swiped his tongue over her bottom lips before tugging it between his teeth. Austin smiled, running one hand leisurely up and down her side, the other arm holding his weight as his body gently rested over Ally's.

As Austin's hand unhurriedly moved up Ally's tee, he broke the kiss, directing his kisses down her neck, knowing that it was secretly her weakness.

Ally whimpered as he sucked on her pulse point, Austin rubbing soothing circles, with his thumb, on her hip. Ally tilted her head, giving Austin more access as he tried to take her mind off his hand traveling further up her midsection.

While Austin knew that Ally had admitted that she was ready, he still worried that something would trigger her. However; she surprised him when arching her back, allowing him to slip her shirt higher until she raised her head in motion for him to remove it, only leaving her in her undergarments.

Austin froze, allowing his eyes to travel down her body, her lacy bra affecting him in more ways than one. "You are so gorgeous," he whispered in her ear, and Ally shivered as his warm breath hit her neck.

Ally reconnected their lips, letting her hands roam free to travel down his chest and underneath his hoodie. Austin growled when feeling her run her nails over his abs.

Ally tugged the edge of the clothing, feeling uncomfortable being the only one basically naked. Austin raised, letting her slip his hoodie off of him.

Austin's arm slid behind Ally's back, flicking open her bra before slowly peeling it away from her body. Yet; Austin did not focus on Ally's exposed breast right away as he forced his lips back on her neck, descending them down her body.

Austin pressed hot kisses down her neck and collarbone before reaching her breast. Ally gasped, arching her back. "Austin." It was only a whisper, but the sound of his name leaving her lips caused him to push himself against her.

A hand traveled passed her hip and down the band of Ally's final piece of clothing. Austin silently asked permission by tugging gently, releasing her lips to softly kiss her nose. She nodded, and Ally fought to control her breathing as he touched her where no one ever had.

"You okay?" He asked delicately, and Ally nodded euphorically before he kissed her again. Ally could feel his arousal, slowly running her hands down his body and to the waistband of his sweats. "You can take them off, baby." Austin whispered in her ear when she paused.

Ally pushed them down past his waist until Austin began to remove them, as she could not reach.

Ally felt tightening in the pit of her stomach as pleasure consumed her, but before it could unleash, Austin stopped, removing his hand as he kissed her again. He slowed everything down, and Ally felt overwhelmed with love, lust, and pleasure. Everything was happening so quickly as she closed her eyes, breaking the kiss to take a moment.

The feeling of hands roaming her body that night wanted to surface so badly, wanting to push her body into flight mode, but she would not allow it.

Austin looked down at her, removing the sweaty strands of hair from her forehead. He kissed her forehead. "Are you sure, sweetheart? We can stop right now, it's okay." He reassured, understanding if she wanted to go no further, never removing his lips.

Ally felt warmth and love consume her. Who would do this? What guy would go this far and still be able to think about her, her wants and needs? Yet, she did not know that that was Austin's main priority.

Ally's eye fluttered open, nothing but adoration shining up at him. "I'm sure." Ally whispered certainly. She wanted this. With him.

"I need you to relax and take some deep breaths. I'm going to go slow, okay, just tell me if you want me to stop," he whispered in explanation, never removing his eyes from her as he picked strands from her face continuously. Ally nodded, bracing herself.

He gently leaned down to kiss her again as he positioned himself. Ally tensed, feeling uncomfortable pressure with only a pinch of pain. "Just relax and keep taking deep breaths, gorgeous." He said quietly, before sliding in fully.

Ally gasped, her breaths quickening. "Just breath, baby. Just breath," he cooed into her ear, resting on her neck as he stilled, waiting for her. Ally could feel his hot breath panting before he began to press kisses alongside her jaw.

Ally furrowed her eyebrows, trying to focus on relaxing her body. A whimper of panic escaped and a pang of worry struck through Austin. "Shh, gorgeous. This is all up to you. You guide me. You are in control."

He knew that the pain was not the problem, it was the state of her mind when it came to intimacy.

"Deep breaths, sweet girl." He focused on soothing her fiery skin with butterfly kisses. Sometimes Ally wondered if she could love him more.

Ally did as told and it helped. "I'm okay." She whispered as she shifted a little. Austin peppered kisses to her lips and jaw. "I'm going at your pace." There it was again, that reassurance of control, for her.

And with that, Austin's body began rocking over hers, it was uncomfortable at first, but Ally soon found that the pleasure was outdoing the pain.

Ally shifted beneath him and somehow, he sunk deeper, causing them both to moan.

Ally could feel her body climbing to its peak as Austin's motions quickened, upon Ally's request. Panting hard, Ally let her head fall backward as she hit her climax. "Look at me, gorgeous," Austin whispered as he continued to move.

Ally used the last of her effort to gaze up at him, only to find him smiling down lovingly at her, kissing her as he found his own release.

/

"How are you feeling?" Austin questioned in a whisper as he twirled her waves that cascaded down her bareback. Ally breathed deeply through her nose, taking in his scent that mixed with his cologne, herself, and sex.

Ally closed her eyes, snuggling further into him, placing her face into the crook of his neck. "Amazing."

Austin smiled in relief, kissing her temple.

"How are you even real?" Ally spoke, and Austin laughed. "Because I'm living and breathing."

Ally smacked his bare chest lightly. "No, I mean..that was amazing. You were amazing, too amazing almost, it does not seem real. No guy would ever be like you just were with me."

Austin frowned, turning to face her, placing his hand on her cheek. "It's because I love you, Allyson Dawson. You are my main priority. How you feel, especially during something like that, is all I care about. Not me." He spoke firmly, and Ally sighed, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"God, I love you so much," Austin claimed again, and Ally smiled, tears threatening her eyes. Austin spotted them, and place his forehead on hers and he wiped the tears that managed to escape.

"You leave me speechless." Ally informed. "I'm so lucky to have someone like you love someone like me."

Austin shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He kissed her nose. "You are my forever, Allyson Dawson."

Ally stared, not noticing any signs of doubt. Ally brought him closure until her lips ghosted over his.

"As long as you allow me to be." With that, she sealed the space between them.

"Crap." Ally whispered against his lips, spotting that the sun was already up. "What?"

"I have to make them breakfast, damn it."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed ;)**

 **Merry Christmas, God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	19. Chapter 19

Ally could not help the obnoxious laughter that escaped her as she watched Mike Moon fail ultimately at cooking the Christmas dinner they were supposed to consume later that evening.

Shooting her a glare, Ally covered her mouth and closed her eyes as she tried to contain herself. "You know, Ally. Laughing at someone's failure isn't very nice." He scolded before cursing at the tiny flames igniting beneath the pan.

That sounded another bout of laughter.

"It's expectable when you are cooking, honey." Mimi defended, walking into the kitchen carrying bags of ingredients.

"Thank heavens you are back. I thought I was going to burn down the house." Mike exclaimed, hurrying to give her the spatula in his hands. Mimi stared at it. "Michael, you aren't even using the right utensils!"

Ally laughed once again.

"Allyson!"

"Don't yell at my girlfriend for laughing at your terrible cooking skills." Austin joked, joining in on Ally's contagious, yet uncontrollable giggles. Austin came to sit beside Ally at the bar, while Mike grumbled before walking out to go 'watch football'.

Ally sighed, finally catching her breath. Wiping a stray tear, she clutched her abdomen. "O my God, I can't breathe. That's the funniest thing I've seen all year."

"Ally! Shut it!"

Ally giggled again as Mike shouted from the living room.

"I definitely did not marry him for his cooking skills," Mimi added, stirring away at the dinner. Ally smiled towards Mimi, something about sitting at the bar to talk with her while watching her cook for her family calmed her. Maybe it was because it was something she never got to watch her mother do.

"So, Ally, how come you aren't with your father this evening? Not that you aren't invited, you always are, I'm just asking."

"Dad got called into the office, so, I had a free evening until Aus called."

Mimi turned to smile comfortingly at her. "Well, my dear, you get to meet the entire Moon clan. I apologized in advance and also understand if you want to bail now."

Ally laughed before shaking her head. "I'm sure it will be fine, they can't be any worse than my family."

/

And, she was right. The Moons were amazing. Even with a house full, Ally could not help the smile that overtook her face.

While most consisted of kids between the age of six to thirteen, everything was perfect to her. Screaming kids were the least of her problems. Surrounded by a loving family on Christmas while eating a delicious meal was something she always wanted, and she certainly was not taking it for granted.

"Okay, everyone, time to exchange gifts," Mimi announced from her end of the table. Every kid in the room screamed in excitement, removing themselves from their chairs as if they were lava. Ally chuckled to herself as she thought of the childish game.

"Come on, us too," Austin informed, lending her his hand. She took it lovingly before walking into the living area, letting Austin pull her into his lap on the couch. Throughout the next half-hour, Ally watched with joy as everyone traded Christmas gifts, all the kids seeming to forget upon finding their favorite.

As they finished, Mimi stood up, smiling to Austin and Mike before making way to her.

"And, Ally, we have something for you too."

Ally opened her mouth in surprise, lifting her arms in protest as Mimi handed a sleek, rectangular box to her. "Mimi, you all did not have too. Really."

"Hush, missy. Take it."

Ally took a deep breath, not wanting to accept it as it was placed in her hands. Looking back at Austin, she found him smirking, nodding for her to open it. He knew about this. She was going to kill him.

Ally rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the gift. Removing the lid, Ally was instantly frozen in shock. "No way, I can't except this. This is entirely too much. What?" Ally ranted breathlessly.

Inside the box was a ticket to New York City.

"Yes, you can. We are all taking a family trip to New York, and in the short time you and Austin have been together, we still consider you family. We would like for you to join us." Mike informed, and Ally looked up at them with tears.

"I-I." She was at a loss for words.

"Oh, sweet girl." Mimi cooed, reaching forward to take the emotional girl into her arms. As Mimi embraced her tightly, Ally took a sharp breath. Mimi placed a kiss on the shaking girl's temple, and Ally felt her throat tighten as she let Mimi coddle her.

The four of them sitting the living room knew it was more than just the plane ticket to New York.

"My sweet girl, I want you to never doubt the love we have for you. With everything you have gone through this year, we want you to start out the New Year with something to remember. I've already spoken to your father, he says he will be out of town for the first of the year on business. He thinks it would be an amazing idea if you went with us." Mimi spoke softly, pulling back only to caress her face and move baby hairs out of her face.

Ally nodded, not trusting herself to say a word. She had never felt this. The motherly touch that Mimi was providing, and the two men laid back to let Mimi nurture her like she should have always been.

Mimi wiped the fallen tears that had traveled down her face.

Austin normally did this, and while she loved it, it sent a whole new sort of protection and care through her when Mimi did it. It was something Penny should have always done.

"So, what do you say. Will you go with us?" Mimi whispered.

Ally sniffled before nodding. An eruption of cheers came from the three, and Ally laughed, letting Mimi pull her back into a quick hug.

"Party in New York City," Mike yelled. Ally let a full bout of laughter erupt, leaning back into Austin. "And, she is laughing at me again. That's it. I'm not staying here for this." Mike claimed dramatically, making the family laugh. He truly was a character...and also had, had three beers.

"That's the second present that has made me cry." Ally groaned, wiping underneath her eyes. Mimi and Austin laughed.

"How was that?" Austin whispered in her ear. Ally smiled, turning her head to kiss his cheek.

"This has by far been the best Christmas ever."

/

"You are going to New York!"

Ally covered her ears as her two best friends stood in her room, squealing.

"Geez, you guys." Ally exclaimed, and they smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, but girl, when do you leave," Leo questioned, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

"This evening. I got my ticket last night." Ally informed, and Leo gasped. "No way, you have only until this evening to pack for New York. Oh, baby girl, you are going to need some help."

Trish nodded, and Ally smiled, motioning to her suitcase. "And, that is why I called you two."

The two smiled at each other before Trish hit the makeup stand and Leo hit her closet.

"Remember, I don't need my entire bedroom." Ally reminded.

"Pish Posh," Trish exclaimed for the bathroom. Leo agreed. Ally rolled her eyes.

It was not long until the two of them were done packing, Ally not having much say in what was packed. The two had taken over her entire bedroom and suitcase, not leaving her any leverage.

"Okay baby girl, there you go." Leo sipped the last bit of the suitcase. Ally sighed, looking down at her watch. She had an hour to get to the airport. "Will one of you drive me to the airport?" Ally questioned, and both nodded.

"We are both coming." Trish decided, and Leo nodded. Ally shook her head.

"No, you both don't have to come. That would be too much of a hassle on your part. I don't want to be a burden."

Leo threw his hand up in a disagreement. "Nonsense. We are both coming. For all we know, it could be the last time we see you or you see us."

Ally sighed, rolling her eyes, but nodded.

"Okay, we need to go right now."

/

Goodbyes at the airport were not supposed to be emotional for a week trip, but they were, for her two best friends.

While Trish stayed attached to her hip, Leo kept lecturing her.

" _No going anywhere without someone with you at all times. Make sure you have money, do you have enough? Make sure you text me when you land, when you get to your hotel, and text me how it is going. Also, make sure you have your tracker turned on, on your cell to make sure they can find you. I also got you a rape alarm."_

Ally could not get over the rape alarm, but took it nonetheless, attaching it to her purse. After the lecture was when he hugged her to death, claiming that he never wanted to let his best friend go and that she was too young. The world was too dangerous.

Trish agreed.

Then they both sat on the floor and grabbed onto each leg.

Austin videoed. Ally covered her face in embarrassment, not being able to shake them off.

How did she love or put up with them? She did not know.

Now she was on the plane, high in the air, watching Netflix with Austin. Everything seemed perfect. She was going to a new city with the person she loved. An adoring family who cared for her deeply, and vice versa.

She was happy.

Snuggling into Austin's side more, she gripped onto his arm tighter. She felt him kiss the top of her head, switching to the next episode on the laptop in his lap.

Closing her eyes, she nourished in the contentment.

/

 _O my gosh! That's so cute! ~ Leo_

Ally laughed at Leo's response to the picture she sent of Austin and herself. It had to be her favorite picture of them by far, and they had taken a lot of pictures since getting together last year. They were standing in the middle of central parker, Ally wrapped tightly in Austin's embrace as the snow fell heavily.

She was laughing as Austin kissed her nose. She looked unbelievably happy.

Locking her phone, she placed it on the bed before turning to the full-sized mirror. Staring at herself, she laughed, thinking that Leo would be incredibly proud of her for her outfit choice. She styled a pair of simple skinny jeans that were tucked into classic Sam Edelman, black leather, knee-high boots.

She almost felt unworthy wearing the pair of one-hundred and fifty dollar boots that Leo had gotten her this past Christmas. A black, lofty, quilted vest over her white, thermal sweater. Fiddling with her hair, she pulled it from beneath her maroon, stitched grid scarf.

Lastly, a cream-colored beanie with a brown fur ball sat atop of her head, her lengthy, brunette locks falling to beneath her breast in massive waves.

"Well, don't you look adorable."

Looking up, she spotted Austin staring at her as he leaned against the door frame. Winking at him, she turned to face him physically instead of through the mirror. "Thank you, handsome," Ally complimented, reaching up to grip his unzipped jacket. He smiled, bending down to kiss her openly.

Ally sighed when he swept his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking for entrance.

The kiss was sweet and passionate; a mixture of love, lust, and everything in between.

A spark of electricity shot through Ally when he pulled away, taking her bottom lip between his teeth. Nuzzling his nose with hers, Austin ran his hands down her back, placing them on the lowest of her back, pulling her closer.

"I love you so much," Austin whispered, and Ally smiled, reaching up to caress his cheeks. "And, I love you so much more."

Austin's smile widened, if possible. "Come on, mom and dad are waiting for us," Austin spoke, and Ally nodded, reaching over to grab her tote and cell. And, they made their way down the elevator and to the lobby.

Greeting Austin's parents, they all exited the building.

Ally shivered upon walking out of the hotel, and onto the sidewalks of New York. Each time spotting the city, she was left amazed. The lights, the life, and the people astonished her in every way possible.

Something was always happening, and nothing in New York was boring. It was truly the city that never sleeps.

Austin watched as Ally's eyes glimmered. She never let her eyes fall on only one thing, they always shifted. They had only arrived three days ago, but he could already tell that she had fallen in love with New York.

/

Ally sighed up reaching her room, spent on today's activities. Sitting her hot chocolate down, Ally removed her scarf, beanie, and vest. Shaking out her locks, she felt relieved that her head could breathe.

"Hey, are you about to go to bed?" Austin asked, pepping in her bedroom door. Ally turned to him. "Probably not, I'm not really ready to go to bed yet?" Ally admitted, and Austin nodded. "How about another round of hot chocolate, and the left-over Christmas movie re-runs on Hallmark?" Austin suggested, and Ally smiled, giddy.

"Sounds like a plan, let me get into my PJs."

Austin nodded, closing the door to give her some privacy.

Returning to her tasks, Ally changed into a pair of black and red, plaid pajama bottoms, along with a gray sweater. Grabbing her phone and mug, she made her way down the hall.

Startled, Ally heard her cell ring in her hand as she made her way into the kitchen. Placing her mug back on the counter, she answered her phone.

"Hello," she questioned, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Al-Al-Ally." Ally felt worry consume her as Trish's sobs cut through the earpiece. "Trish! What's the matter, what happened?" Ally interrogated softly, hoping to calm her from her weeping.

"It-it's Leo."

The sentence was simple, but her sobs racked heavier and heavier with each word. Panic enclosed her chest, and she felt herself gripping her sweater. "Trish. What happened?"

"He-he was in a-a car ac-acc-accident. Al, he-he didn't ma-make it."

Ally felt as if her heart physically broke. Her breathing stopped as she placed her hand over her mouth. Ally let a strangled cry fall.

"Al-Ally," Trish whimpered, another round of heavy sobs.

Ally bit her lip, no doubt drawing blood, as she tasted it on her tongue. Letting the phone fall from her grip, it hit the floor.

Wrapping her arms tightly around her abdomen, she sunk to her knees just as a piercing sob sounded throughout the condo. Many cries followed as she rocked herself back as forth. "Ally!"

Ally vaguely heard Austin before feeling the rumbling of his footsteps. "Ally, honey." It was Mimi. Bending down, Mimi wrapped her arms around Ally's shoulders, trying to still her shaking just as Austin walked into the kitchen. With Mimi embracing her from behind, Austin squatted in front of her.

Everything blurred, and Ally could not make out anything that fell from their lips. The only thing she felt was the unbelieve feeling of remorse drowning her. Pain ripped her apart from the inside.

He was her best friend. He could not be gone.

Through her whimpers and indistinct vision, she saw Austin pick up her cell phone, putting it to his ear. It was not long before Austin tensed, clenching his jaw tightly. Tears pooled his eyes hazel eyes as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Putting the phone down, Austin bent down to Ally, pulling her into him.

Together, they rocked in the middle of the kitchen floor, mourning the sudden loss of their dearest and closest friend.

* * *

I know. I know.

Before I say anything (which will be in the next chapter, that I already have written). I'll just let you leave your thoughts in the review box. Or pm me.

~ Love (although you might not right now) Meg


	20. Chapter 20

" _Hello," she questioned, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Al-Al-Ally." Ally felt worry consume her as Trish's sobs cut through the earpiece. "Trish! What's the matter, what happened?" Ally interrogated softly, hoping to calm her from her weeping._

" _It-it's Leo."_

" _Trish. What happened?"_

" _He-he was in a-a car ac-acc-accident. Al, he-he didn't ma-make it."_

/

(A Week Later)

" _Leo, it happened yesterday evening."_ " _Wait, stop," Leo ordered, placing a finger to her lips from his spot on the floor. Damn him and his long arms!_ " _You were asked out by one of the hottest guys in this entire school no more than 24 hours ago, and you are just now telling me. You can tell your best girlfriend, but you can't tell your best gay friend. Nah, we are over! Done," Leo declared dramatically and stood up walking away from the duo._ _The girls stared at his retreating figure, and halfway across the gym floor, he turned around to run back to his sitting position on the gym floor. "Tell me everything now!"_ _Ally held in a giggle and tried to keep a straight face. "But I thought we were done Leo," Ally asked seriously, and Leo waved his hand, dismissing the previous issue. "I'm over it. Now, tell me!" Leo pleaded._

" _Ally! What? What's wrong," Leo panicked as he bent himself down to reach her level "My…my," Ally sobbed, trying to get her words out, but choked on lack of air. She pointed to her knee that was already swelling even worse than before._ " _Okay, okay," Leo soothed as he quickly, yet gently, slipped his arms underneath her picking her up._

" _Ally, you know exactly what we mean." Leo leaned up to grow a sterner attitude. He saw puzzlement cross her eyes before her gaze hardened. "No, Leo. I really don't," she growled, and automatic defense mechanism._

" _Als, I know you wish you could find out who it was, but do you ever think about how maybe you fought back, maybe you were the one that hurt them and got away. Yes, you were the victim, but don't classify yourself as one," Leo's advice was firm and Trish followed._

" _Come on. I'm the gay best friend. If I don't hit on my girls' fellas, then I don't approve. Feel lucky," Leo advised, winking at the blonde male._

 _The sound of Ally and Trish's GoGo boots alerted Leo of their arrival. Turning at the sound, he let out a low whistle. "Damn. I'm a lucky bastard."_

" _Do not let someone control you. I know for a fact that you never have, and I'm sure as hell not about to let you start now. Trish and I will pick you up tomorrow since your dad is taking your car, if you come out of that house without that uniform on, we will drag you back in there and put it on you ourselves. Understand?"_

" _Leo!" Ally called, and he looked from the field in her direction. Furrowing his eyebrows, he jogged over. "What's up?"_ _Ally winked, throwing her legs over the railing. "Catch me?"_ _Leo grinned, motioning for her to jump. With that, Ally jumped, Leo, catching her around her torso. Sitting her on her feet, he smiled down at her. "You are cheering again. Aren't you?"_ " _The bitch is back."_ " _Hell yeah!" Leo yelled, spinning her around in mid-air._

 _Leo kissed her head while Trish rubbed her back. "He'll be okay, Als."_

" _Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? You are exhausted, Als."_ " _Leo, I'll be fine. My house is not even that far away." Ally answered, and Leo sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. Be careful, I love you, text me when you get home." Leo ordered, and Ally rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips._ " _Yes, dad. I will."_ _Leo let a smirk cover his face. "Oh, Ally. I did not know you were like that."_

" _Hey, hey. Don't worry about that." Leo ordered, worried about her unsteadied hands what damage she could possibly do to herself. Pulling her up by her forearms, Ally fell into Leo's welcoming embrace, exhaustion catching up with her physically._ _Her shaking figure made Leo's arms tighten around her. "You're okay," Leo reassured._

 _Leo sat in a chair that was for Sarah and placed Ally and Trish on each knee. As they were about to take the picture, the wind blew, causing the girls to huddled closer for warmth._ " _There you go." Sam smiled, handing them the phone. They thanked her before studying in the photo. "Aww, I love it," Ally claimed. They all sat, huddled together as they smiled. "My girls," Leo smiled fondly at the picture, and Trish and Ally grinned._

" _Ally, baby. We are home."_ _Ally's eye lit up as she heard Leo's voice sound from the living room. Soon, she spotted both Leo and Trish walking into the kitchen. "O my gosh!" Ally paced herself hastily towards them, Leo embracing her as he twirled in her a circle before passing her to Trish._

 _Leo smiled. "Austin looks at you like you are the only girl in the world like you are his world. As cliché as it sounds. His smile gets wider, his eyes get brighter, and his overall appearance is happier. He is completely ready to bend at your every need." "He isn't with you for sex, baby girl. He loves you for you." Leo spoke so passionately, it sounded odd hearing it fall from his mouth. Ally shook her head, wanting to believe him. "When have I ever lied to you?"_

" _Ally Dawson, stop fretting over the price. You are my best friend and I shall spoil you, the both of you."_

" _Leo, these are beautiful. Thank you." Ally smiled fondly, leaning over to kiss his cheek along with Trish. "Well, the three of us don't have anything that links us together, thought I would change that."_

" _Okay baby girl, there you go." Leo sipped the last bit of the suitcase. Ally sighed, looking down at her watch. She had an hour to get to the airport. "Will one of you drive me to the airport?" Ally questioned, and both nodded._ " _We are both coming." Trish decided, and Leo nodded. Ally shook her head._ " _No, you both don't have to come. That would be too much of a hassle on your part. I don't want to be a burden."_ _Leo threw his hand up in a disagreement. "Nonsense. We are both coming. For all we know, it could be the last time we see you or you see us."_

" _No going anywhere without someone with you at all times. Make sure you have money, do you have enough? Make sure you text me when you land, when you get to your hotel, and text me how it is going. Also, make sure you have your tracker turned on, on your cell to make sure they can find you. I also got you a rape alarm."_ _Ally could not get over the rape alarm, but took it nonetheless, attaching it to her purse. After the lecture was when he hugged her to death, claiming that he never wanted to let his best friend go and that she was too young. The world was too dangerous._

Ally let her eyes rack over her image that stood in front of her body mirror.

While a light coating of cosmetics covered her face, and her hair was pulled up nicely due to Trish's handy work, she looked awful in her opinion.

Dark circles were hidden beneath her concealer, her eyes popped only due to the eyeliner, not because she was genuinely happy. A picture of what her hair looked like before Trish worked her magic popped into her mind. Her black dress clung to her annoyingly, and she wanted nothing more than to put back on her sweats.

Sighing, Ally reached over to grab her earrings before placing them into her lobes. Stepping back, she was finally ready.

Ally watched as Trish suddenly made an appearance behind her in the mirror, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her features representing the same sorrow. Reaching up, Ally gripped her hand in hers.

"You ready?" A while Ally knew that she was simply asking her if she were ready to leave, both knew there was a deeper meaning. "No." Ally whispered, her voice cracking. She had not spoken much.

Trish bit her lip, wrapping her arms around Ally's shoulders. "We will be okay." Trish murmured, resting her chin. Ally wanted to believe her, but right now, it hurt too much to think that she would ever get past this.

Letting her eyes wander, they fell onto a picture frame on Ally's bedside. Tears fell as Ally picked it up, stroking it fondly. The frame held a picture of the three best friends on Ally's couch, all decked out in Christmas pajamas with hot chocolate. She stared at Leo's smiling face in between the two of them. It was the last picture they had taken together.

"I miss him so much," Ally sniveled. "I don't know if I can do this."

Trish cleared her throat, no doubt pushing back a sob. "I do too."

"I mean, this isn't right!" Ally cried, harshly wiping the tears away. "He is supposed to be with us! He'll never get to graduate with us, or-or cheer beside us again. He'll never hold me again, or be able to give me advice. He won't be there to threaten our boyfriends, and we will never be able to hear one of his stupid, dramatic break-up stories again. He won't be there to help us through college or watch us get married. He'll never meet our kids." Ally spoke, and Trish tried to contain her sobs.

"I would give anything to tell him I love him one more time, or that he was my best friend." Ally cried, and Trish joined Ally on the side of her bed, wrapping her arms around her. "He loved us, Ally. The friendship we had, that only comes once in a lifetime." Trish tried to console the both of their hearts, but it just was not working.

Ally whined, clutching Trish's arms for dear life. Why did she feel like a piece of her had been taken? Maybe because it had.

"Come on. We have to do this. You and I both know he would be cursing our names if we missed," Trish joked lightly, and Ally smiled softly. That much was true. He always loved attention.

Ally closed her eyes, took a deep breath before exhaling. "Okay."

"Are you ready?"

Ally looked at Trish, and vice versa. They only had each other now. Gripping her hands in hers, Ally nodded. "Let's do this."

/

Ally pulled into the funeral home parking lot, before cutting off her ignition. Pulling themselves from the car, Trish and Ally made their way to the front of the funeral home. Spotting them, Austin made his way to them, kissing both of their cheeks.

"You two look beautiful." Austin complimented, and the two tried to smile, but it failed. "Thank you, Aus," Trish whispered, and Austin nodded, pulling Ally into a tight hug. Ally relaxed, standing in Austin's hold as she buried her face into his neck, blocking out everything around her.

Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply through her nose, and for once in the past week, she felt some of her remorse fade. Only a little bit though.

Austin trailed his fingers up and down her spine as he held her, watching as Trish stared at her best friend. "I think she is taking it the worst," Trish mouthed, and Austin nodded in agreement.

Mimi and Mike walked through the entrance, Mimi placing a hand over her heart as she spotted her son and Ally. Walking over to Trish, Mimi and Mike hugged her tightly.

"How are you holding up, sweetheart," Mimi whispered, not wanting to disturb Ally. "I'm doing okay, I guess. I'm really tired if anything else," Trish answered honestly, and Mimi nodded. "That's understandable."

Mimi and Mike walked over to their son, Mimi reaching to kiss Austin's cheek before kissing the back of Ally's head, smoothing her hair. "How is she doing," Mike questioned, as Mimi rubbed Ally's back along with Austin.

"I honestly can't tell." He whispered. "It's hit her pretty hard though."

"Is she asleep?" Mike joked softly, and Austin let a single chuckle fall from his lips. "No, I think she is just overlooking reality for as long as she can."

Mimi smiled before nodding. "The funeral starts at 10, it's a little past nine."

Ally sighed, pulling away from Austin. "Hi, sweet girl."

Ally tried to smile at Mimi's greeting, but both could tell it was forced. "Hi, Mimi."

"We are gonna walk around, see if Leo's parents need help with anything," Mike spoke, and Austin nodded. Just as they left, Shane and Dez walked in. Grim smiles covered their faces as they greeted their friends.

"Hey guys." Shane spoke, bending down to give Ally and Trish a hug. Dez copied his actions, kissing both of their cheeks. "How are you two holding up," Dez asked, and Ally was not sure if she could handle hugs and questions all day long.

"We are as okay as we can be," Trish answered for the both of them. Ally failed to say anything, just leaning back into Austin's side. Leaning down, Austin whispered in her ear. "I love you, gorgeous."

Ally looked up at him, smiling gently before kissing him softly. Trish watched, a smile taking over her face. In all good time, her best friend would be fine.

Leo's parents made their way over. Trish and Ally straightened, hugging each of them tightly. "You two were the most important people in his life. Thank you for always being there for him," his father spoke, and each of them pushed back tears.

"We needed him more than he could ever know," Ally whispered, and Leo's father smiled, kissing each their foreheads. "We love you two very much, you two don't be strangers."

Ally and Trish nodded.

"It's time," Leo's mother confirmed, and both of the girl sighed. Soon, everyone turned to make their way to the service room. Austin took place between Ally and Trish, offering both an arm. Usually, Leo would be in the middle, doing the same thing, today it was different.

Austin led both to the front by Leo's parents. Ally stared at the closed coffin, taking in the set up around it. She smiled at the blown-up pictures that surrounded it. A collage of photos stood in a massive frame, all containing photos of Leo with friends, family, and at school events. Another frame contained a family portrait, and another contain Leo, Ally, and Trish all huddled together on the bleachers at the last football game of this year. Then, Leo's smiling face was at the front.

Ally gripped Austin's hand as the preacher took place behind the podium to start the service. Ally stared straight ahead, tuning in and out of the ceremony. Her eyes pooled with tears that soon started to make way down her face as the preacher began to speak about Leo's life and accomplishments.

Ally found herself unable to move. This was really happening, he was really gone.

Throughout the past week, Ally had come in and out of reality a lot. The denial phase kept coming back to haunt her over and over again, but in all actual reality, in this moment, she finally realized that, that was her best friend in that coffin.

Her eighteen-year-old best friend since freshman year of high school. The one that was supposed to be with her through everything throughout her life, but instead, he was gone. She would never see Leo Thompson ever again. That simple thought made her heart feel as if it physically ripped into.

How did people do this? This was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Ally failed to stop the tears, but no sounds escaped her mouth. Austin leaned over to kiss her cheek softly, and Ally laid her head on his shoulder, gripping his arm for dear life.

Before Ally knew it, the ceremony was over, and the pallbearers were removing the coffin. Ally watched it exit the door until it disappeared. Ally closed her eyes tightly, pushing back the tears that had not made their way down her face.

Standing, she walked straight out of the service room, not bothering to wait on Austin or Trish. Everything was a blur, she felt exhaustion hit her.

"Aus, maybe you should take her to your place. Her father is out of town, and I don't think it would be a good idea for her to be alone," Trish explained, and Austin studied his girlfriend. The grief left her completely dazed.

"I will, do you want to come? Or?"

Trish shook her head. "No, I think I'm just gonna go home." Austin nodded in understanding. "I have Ally's car."

Pulling her into a hug, Austin bided her a goodbye before leading Ally to his truck. On the way to Austin's, she remained quiet. So, quiet that Austin was worried that she had stopped breathing every once and a while.

Upon arriving to the house, Austin and Ally made their way inside. Removing her coat, Austin placed it on the coat rack before placing his hands on her shoulders. "How about you go change, and go lay down," Austin whispered, placing a chaste kiss where her neck and shoulder met.

Ally did not say anything, just began to walk up the stairway into Austin's bedroom. After Austin handed her a tee and a pair of shorts that she had left here. Turning on the heater, Austin waited for Ally to come from the bathroom.

Once she did, she traveled to Austin bed before curling underneath his covers and in between his pillows. Leaning over, Austin smoothed her hair out, kissing her forehead. Tucking her in, Austin left the room, turning the light out as he went.

With that, Ally shut her eyes, hoping to let all her troubles fade away.

/

When waking, Ally had no idea how long she had been out. Looking over at the clock, she shot up in surprise when seeing that it read seven in the morning. Her gaze studied the room, noting that she was still in Austin's bed, and the sun was rising outside. The spot beside her was empty, but had been slept in.

Thinking back, she could vaguely remember Austin crawling into bed with her. Running her hand through her tousled waves, she picked up her phone, only to see that it was, in fact, the day after the funeral. She had slept the rest of the day yesterday and through the night.

Taking a breath at the realization, she scrolled through her notifications. A couple of messages and missed calls from her father and Trish. Quite a few messages from friends, classmates, and family that were no doubt sending condolences.

A frown formed on her face, half way expecting to see a message from Leo, or a message from their group chat. Pushing away the thought, Ally forced herself out of the bed. Crossing the room, she made her way into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she grimaced at her image. Her hair was awful, and her makeup was everywhere.

Luckily, Austin had kept pretty much everything Ally could ever need in his bathroom for her, considering that they had been together for almost half of a year, and she stayed over a hell of a lot. Perks of having your father out of town for long periods of time, and the fact that Austin's parents trusted the both of them immensely.

Ally thought back to when she told Leo this, he said it was claiming Ally's territory if a girl ever visited. She wanted to chuckle at the thought.

Retrieving makeup wipes, she cleansed her face free of the grimy cosmetics.

Staring at herself once more, she noticed that the circles under her eyes were darker than ever, the frown lies were more prominent, and her eyes were not as bright.

Shaking her head, she brushed out her hair before heading down stairs. When opening the door, she was hit with the aroma of bacon, pancakes, and fried eggs.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Mimi smiled, placing another plate down at the table. As Ally sat at the bar, Mike placed a cup of coffee in front of her. Mimi kissed the top of her head before flipping a pancake.

Ally felt warmth fill her.

"Where's Austin?"

Her throat croaked from lack of use.

"He went to run an errand for his father. He thought he would be back before you woke up." Mimi informed, and Ally nodded. "Did I really sleep for that long?" Ally questioned, and Mike nodded.

"Yep, we were getting worried that you would never wake up." Mike joked, and Ally left half a smile show. Upon that, Ally heard the door open, and in walked Austin. When spotting her, he recoiled in shock.

"Well, I see you are finally up. Good morning, gorgeous." Austin teased lightly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Mimi placed a plate down in front of Ally, and at the sight, Ally felt her stomach churn. Turning her nose up, Ally grimaced at it.

"This looks amazing, Mimi, but I'm not really hungry." Ally spoke truthfully. Mimi turned, worry consuming her features. "Honey, when is the last time you ate?"

Ally thought back to the last time she ate a meal, but not came to her. Austin stared at her with wide eyes. "Ally, you need to eat. I can make you something else, something smaller, but I won't feel comfortable until you eat at least something," Mimi voiced, and Ally sighed.

Nothing really appetized her.

"Can I just wait until lunch? I'm not really a breakfast person, it makes me sick when I eat early in the mornings." That was not a lie.

Mimi sighed. "Okay." She agreed, but pointed her spatula at her. "But, no getting out of eating lunch. Okay?" Ally nodded, and Mimi smiled at her agreement.

"Can I be excused?" Ally murmured, and the three nodded. Austin placed a hand on her shoulder as she got up, shooting her a questioning look. "I think I'm just gonna go lay back down, if that's okay."

"Of course, gorgeous."

/

" _O my gosh, Al! You have to come look at this!"_

Ally smiled sadly as she watched a video of Leo laying on her bed, looking at something on her phone as he videoed himself.

" _What"_

She heard herself in the background. Suddenly, Ally saw herself jumping into frame beside Leo, both of them laughing as the bed wobbled.

" _What am I looking at," Ally questioned, and Leo shrugged. "I don't know, I lost it. But listen to this." Ally rolled her eyes, looking at Leo as she waited for him._

 _Leo turned to her, staring as a mischievous smile crossed his face. "What?" Ally exclaimed, laughter bubbling in her throat._

" _What do you call a deer with no eyes?"_

 _Ally threw her hands up._

" _No eye-deer." Leo answered, and Ally fell into a hip of giggles, setting off Leo._

Tears slide down Ally's face as she watched the two of them doing nothing but giggling.

"Baby, you are just torturing yourself." Austin whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed as he pushed strands of hair from her face. Ally sniffled. Austin crawled into the bed beside her, letting her curl into his side.

"I know, but I miss him so much. It's only been a week, how am I supposed to do this?" Ally whimpered. Austin pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her securely, triggering her downfall of tears.

Her body quivered and wrecked as she bawled, gripping his shirt as if her life depended on it. This hurt, not just mentally, but physically. She reached that point of no return, where she could not breath, swallow, or speak. Her throat was tight, her nose was raw, and her eyes burned.

The lack of air filling her lungs caused her to hiccup in between cries.

"He's go-gone."

Austin controlled his emotions, not being able to remember filling heartbreak like this before. Not only had he lost a dear friend, the one he loved was in despair as well, and he could not fix it.

Austin reached to grip her face in between his hands, placing their foreheads together. "Please breathe for me, gorgeous." Her breathing was getting out of hand, the last thing he needed was her passing out.

It was not easy, but after some cooing, soothing, and counting, Austin had finally calmed Ally down to an emotionless state.

The couple laid in silence, Austin running his fingers through the strands of her hair. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Ally whispered, and Austin felt a bolt of fear shoot threw him.

Gripping her tighter, he waited for her to continue. "After everything that has happened to me this year, this has to be the icing on the top of the cake. Is God against me? What did I do?" Sorrow was all that either could comprehend.

"You are so much stronger than you think, Als. And, I know this past year has been a living hell for you, but every time something has knocked you down, you've gotten back up ten times stronger. This. This may take some time, hell, I know it'll take some time. But, don't forget that you have people that love you, and you have a life that, at some point, you have to get back to living. I know you loved Leo, and he loved you. And, you may or may not believe it, but he would want you to be happy, I know he would. He wanted the best for you, in every way possible. Remember that."

Ally stayed silent, breathing deeply throughout Austin's mini speech of encouragement. Ally nodded slowly in the crook of his neck. "Please just don't leave me. Give me some time?" She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck as she laid atop of him.

He smiled sadly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm not going anywhere, gorgeous. You can bet my life on it."

"I don't know about that," Ally whispered, against his skin, and while he knew it was meant to be a joke, it did not come out like it.

Either way, he would take what he could get.

* * *

 **Guys. I'm just as heartbroken as you all are. Maybe even more so.**

 **Leo was my favorite character, he was based on someone I know personally. My gay best friend. So to kill him off was extremely hard, and I cried while writing this. I've never done that.**

 **I did not kill him off to shock any of you. I killed him off because I thought it went really well with the plot. Ally's life is ultimately falling apart, and now, she has started off the new year losing her best friend. If you all thought Ally's life was hell, just wait, because drama is in the air. Things you wouldn't expect are about to happen, and I can't wait for you to read it!**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. I'll miss Leo forever, and I can't believe I actually took the step to kill him off. I'm going to miss writing him so, so much! It actually makes me want to write in that she was dreaming or something, but I won't.**

 **Have a Merry Christmas and an even better New Year!**

 **R.I.P. Leo :*(**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	21. Chapter 21

**Guyss, I am on a roll! I've updated like three chapters in the past week, and now I'm uploading this one! I also am already halfway through the next chapter! Can you believe that?**

 **I hope you guys don't hate me for Leo's passing. I'm saddened by it too, I promise, but you'll see my point as the storyline continues.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Question: Does anyone know if Courtney and Ross have broken up? If they have, and I'm extremely late, I'm sorry, but I can't find proof anywhere. So, I don't know if it is a rumor or not. If you guys now, please leave the answer down in the review box! :))**

 **Onto the chapter...**

 **NOT EDITED.**

* * *

Everywhere that Ally went, she was surrounded by Leo.

Texts kept coming a week after the funeral to give condolences. Miniature things around Ally's room; things he had gotten her, left at her house, or the numerous amounts of pictures. The cheer team. The roses and pictures in front of Leo's locker at school. Everything.

While Ally wanted to mope, she did not allow herself. As soon as school started back the week after the funeral, Ally threw herself into her studies, into being cheer captain. She had taken up rearranging the entire house whenever she ran out of things do. She never allowed herself time to breathe. That was her goal.

Trish walked into Ally's room, confusion immediately controlling her features when seeing clothing scattered throughout Ally's bedroom, but no Ally.

"Al?"

"In here!"

Walking towards the closet, Trish sidestepped a flying shirt. "Sorry." Ally apologized, taking a step back as she wiped her forehead. Ally smiled.

"Hey, T. What's up?"

Trish looked around. "Ally, why is the majority of your closet in your bedroom?" Trish asked, sitting on the bean bag in the corner. Her closet was too big.

"I've decided to do a clear out. Get rid of things that don't fit, I don't want, or I don't like anymore." Ally shrugged. Trish's eyes widened. "Ally, your entire closet is basically gone."

Ally chuckled before turning back to her 'clearing out'. Trish cleared her throat, hesitant. "Ally..are you doing this because Leo was the one that organized your closet?"

Ally froze, her eyes glazing over with a harsh glare directed towards her best friend. "No, Trish. I'm just clearing out my damn closet. How does that have anything to do with Leo?"

Trish held up her hands in defense. "Nothing, Ally. I'm just asking a question. I mean, I know you do a New Year clear out every year, but this is a little overboard. I mean, your entire house is different. Your entire room is different, and now, you are basically getting rid of every item of clothing you own. That's a little much for a New Year's resolution."

Ally rolled her eyes before forcing a smile back on her face. Trish did not miss it.

"There is nothing wrong with what I am doing. Just a little something new, that is all."

"Well, then change your hair. Get a new workout routine, rearrange your room, but don't get rid of everything. Al, you are crazed by grief. Whenever you snap out of it, you'll regret it. I promise." Trish tried, but Ally forcefully glared.

"Trish, I am not up for any sort of advice. What I am doing is what I choose to do, and it has nothing to do with you. Got it? Good." Ally snapped, making Trish flinch. With that, she walked out of the closet.

"Damn," Trish muttered under her breath. Hearing the sound of Ally's phone on her shoe rack, Trish leaned over to answer it.

 _Finally, I was getting worried there for a minute, gorgeous._

Trish sighed, leaning back into the bean bag. Apparently, she was ignoring Austin's calls as well.

"Austin? It's Trish."

 _Hey, T. Where is Ally?_

Trish looked out of the closet to see if she could spot Ally, but she was nowhere to be found.

"I think downstairs. I take it you have been trying to reach her all day?"

 _Yeah, I was getting worried. Has she been ignoring my calls?_

"I think so. I was trying to reach her earlier, got worried, and came over. Granted, she was knee deep in clearing out her closet, but her phone was still on loud, so." Trish explained, looking over her shoulder to make sure Ally had not magically appeared again.

 _She is what? Christ, she has already cleared out her bedroom. Is her closet next?_

Trish nodded, although he could not see her. "I'm worried about her. I mean, I'm taking it hard, but I'm grieving like normal. Ally is not letting herself grieve and it's starting to frighten me."

Trish heard Austin sigh. _I think she is going through a freaky five stages of grief type thing. I think she is angry, although that is the first one, she has already done the denial, which is stage two._

Trish groaned. "I need my best friend right now. She is here physically, but mentally.."

Austin sighed. _I know. I know._

Hearing footsteps travel up the stairs, Trish panicked. "I gotta go, talk to you later. She is coming back, and I don't want her to be angry with me for answering her phone. Bye."

Not giving him a chance to answer, Trish hung up the phone, leaning to place it back where it was. Seconds later, Ally returned with a garbage bag. "Help me?"

/

It had been two weeks since Leo's funeral. And, for the first time since Austin and Ally's relationship began, Austin could finally say that Ally was annoying the hell out of him, but not in a way that others might think.

Ever since the passing of Leo and the funeral, Ally had been on a rampage of productivity. Completely ignoring everything and everyone around her as her main focus was on her next project.

In the past two weeks, Austin had barely seen his girlfriend, and he would like to think that this would be when she needed him the most. However; it seemed like that was not the case.

"Ally?" Austin called out to her as he took a seat next to her in their sixth period.

She stayed silent, completely consumed in whatever she was writing onto her notepad. Usually, Austin's greetings consisted of pet names or her nicknames, however; he stopped those two days ago when she went to completely ignore everyone until she could not anymore.

"Ally." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Austin forcefully turned her to look at him. "What?" She had snapped. Something that was not rare upon interacting with her anymore. "Can you put down the damn pencil for a couple of minutes to talk to me, your boyfriend," Austin argued, growing irritated at her attitude. He knew she was going through a lot right now but damn it.

Ally sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm herself and the oncoming headache.

"What, babe." The pet name was out of mockery, and it sure as hell was not meant to be a question, but he ignored it.

"Do you want to come out with Trish, Shane, Dez, and I to the boardwalk tonight?"

The way she stared at him made him angry as if asking her to come was a crime or something that should not have happened. Like it was below her.

"No, not tonight," she simply rejected, and Austin held back the groan that wanted so badly to fall from his lips. "Why not," he asked slowly, controlling his temper, something he had been doing for the past two weeks now.

Something in her clicked whenever returning back to her normal life. Austin was not staring at the same girl that was crying her heart out in his bedroom while he held her.

"I have plans." Austin furrowed his eyebrows.

"Who do you have plans with? All of your friends are going out tonight, which I'm trying to invite you too, and your father is out of town. I sure as hell know it is not your mother, so tell me, who else do you have plans with." He spoke sharply. Others looked around at the couple in concern. It was not usual that they saw Austin Moon and Ally Dawson bickering in the middle of a classroom.

Ally sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Austin, it is none of your damn business where I am going tonight. Okay?"

"Actually, I would like to think it is some kind of my business when it comes to you."

Ally snapped her head towards him, anger sparking in her eyes. "Austin, I'm your girlfriend. Not your fucking property, so back the fuck off."

Austin felt his mouth drop slightly and went to argue with her before the teacher arrived, starting the lecture.

Throughout the class, Austin kept shooting glances at Ally, but she was acting completely normal. Taking notes and paying attention. However; the only thing that was off was the lack of constant whispers and giggles between the two. In fact, both failed to say a word to each other until the bell rang.

"Ally, can you wait for just a second." Austin tried, but she was already out the door. Austin growled, placing his elbows on the desk before placing his head in his hands.

"Girl troubles, son?"

Austin looked up to see Mr. Maxwell, their teacher taking a seat on the table beside them. Austin sighed before shaking his head. "Something like that."

Maxwell hummed. "Wanna talk about it, I may have a few years on you, but I'm not too old to understand how the girl mind works."

Austin sighed. "It isn't really her if that makes sense. She lost her best friend, Leo Thompson, three weeks ago, and she has been off ever since," Austin admitted, and Maxwell nodded thoughtfully.

"She is angry. I can tell she is angry, but she doesn't act like it until you are on her case about something. She has thrown herself into anything and everything that can keep her busy. She won't allow herself to breathe, and God, I can't help but worry sick about her. She has already been through so much shit this past year, and if I'm being honest, I'm scared to death I'm gonna lose her too," Austin ranted, finally getting his depressing thoughts off of his chest, although he did not realize that it would be to a teacher.

Maxwell frowned down at the young male.

"Grief makes people do some things that you would never imagine. I went through something like that at her age. I was honor roll student, straight A's, football team captain, full ride to college, and was graduating top ten in my class. I lost my best friend since pre-school right before graduation. I was a mess. I made some bad decisions after graduation, decisions I'm not proud of, but I can tell you from personal experiences. My friends and my girlfriend were there for me through every step of the way for an entire year. I can't tell you how many times they wanted to give up on me, and one of those friends were also extremely close to my best friend as well, but he put his grief aside to help me through mine. I made stupid decisions, landed myself in jail, and broke it off with my girlfriend, who is now my wife. I was grief-stricken, more so than I thought I was." Maxwell took a breath, turning to the door that Ally had just left out of.

"But, if it were not for my friends, I would probably be dead by now. The world is a cruel, harsh place, Austin. In high school, they don't teach teenagers things like that, which causes teens to do something rash things that affect them and those around them drastically. I'm sure Ally is not in her right mind. No matter how hard it may be, don't give up on her. She needs you more than ever right now."

Austin shook his head. Thoughts and images flashing through his mind. He could never give up on her, ever.

"She may not know that she needs you. She'll look over you like you are nothing. But, I promise you, the simple fact of knowing that your there is keeping her going. Knowing that when, not if, when she breaks down, she'll have you.

Austin nodded.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk. Okay? I also know that Leo and Ally were attached at the hip, so I was positive upon hearing the news that she would not take it so well. But, I also know that you were good friends with him too, so, my door is always open, just like many other teachers."

Austin smiled, standing. "Thank you, Mr. Maxwell."

"Anytime, son."

/

Austin paced back and forth in Ally's room. Multiple things running through his mind, mostly the conversation he had, had with Mr. Maxwell in his classroom nearly a week and a half ago.

It had been a month since Leo's passing, and three and a half weeks since the funeral. Ally was still, if not more, distant. She had gone from snapping at people, to completely ignoring them in passing. Austin had not had a real conversation with his girlfriend since New York.

God, what he would give to go back to New York. The trip was short lived, but he loved seeing Ally in that environment. It fit her. Everything at the beginning of the month happened so quickly. One minute they were in the middle of the condo in New York, and the next they were sitting in a pew at the church house. How had that happened?

Now, the girl he loved was no longer the girl he had fallen in love with. She was completely different. It amazed him really.

It was unbelievable that someone could change that quickly in such a short amount of time. Ally was changing in front of everyone, but no one had seemed to notice until it got bad enough, other than Austin himself.

She was no longer that carefree girl who laughed at nothing in the most awkward situations. The one who stood in front of a window as it thunder-stormed outside, completely amazed by the lightning strikes in the sky. The someone that laughed at the corniest jokes he had ever heard. The one who stole his food without asking in the most adorable way possible that made it okay. She no longer smiled at everyone while walking down the hallway. No longer the girl who curled into the passenger seat of his truck, screaming the lyrics that played on the radio. No longer the one who took joyrides or ice-cream runs with her friends at two a.m.

He missed that laugh. He missed that smile. He missed that adorableness. He missed that girl.

A yelp pulled him from his thoughts as he turned to spot Ally. She placed a hand to her chest and laughed before shooting him a smile. Fake.

"Gosh, Austin. You scared me. What are you doing here?"

She walked in, placed her bag on the hook behind her door, and sat on the bed. No greeting hugs or kisses. No teasing or tackling.

"I needed to talk to you." He stated seriously, leaning against her desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

She raised her eyebrows in curiosity before nodding at him to continue. Not an ounce of worry crossed her face. Shouldn't that sentence or statement freak her out?

Austin stayed silent, honestly not expecting to get this far with her.

"What did you want to talk about, Austin?" She urged.

"I need you to come back to me." His statement was simple, and Ally grew confused. "Austin, what are you talking about. I never left you, silly." Her sentence was slow, and Austin felt a spark of hope as he saw the worry cross her face quickly. She was scared of losing him.

"Maybe not. But this person you've become is not my girlfriend. I don't know who she is, and I don't know what it'll take to get her back, but." Austin glowered at her, not easing up. If tough love was what it would take, then that was what she would get.

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "Austin, I don't understand what you are talking ab-"

"Yes, you do, Ally!" He yelled, and Ally jumped. While Austin and Ally have had their fair share of arguments, Austin yelling at Ally was always a rare sight to see. "You don't see what you are doing! How you act, but I do! This is not you! Where in the hell are you in there!"

Ally took a step back, her eyes wide, but her demeanor calm while slightly confused.

Austin stood, waiting for her to say something. "Are you seriously not going to say anything?"

Ally shrugged. "What do you want me to say, Austin? I have no idea what you are talking about."

Austin was livid. "Ally, in the past three years I've known you, you have never acted like this."

Suddenly, something in Ally had snapped.

"How in the fuck do you want me to act, Austin!" She shouted, anger dripping from her voice like venom. Austin smirked. This is what he wanted.

"Huh? What do you expect me to do! Run down the halls skipping while singing the fucking campfire song? I lost my best fucking friend! I saw him three days prior, texted him that morning only to get a call that he was dead. My best friend in the entire world is gone! I'll never get to see him again, ever. You don't know how that feels!"

Tears were falling like a waterfall, but still, this is what Austin wanted. He wanted a reaction. He wanted that spark that he knew was still in there. That spark to know that she was still a spitfire with determination running through her like the blood running her veins.

Both held eye contact, neither wanting to break it. That was until Ally collapsed, cupping her face in her hands as she sobbed.

This is what she was trying to avoid. The pain of remorse ripping through her chest like a wildfire never to cease. It hurt.

"It hurts." She whimpered, and for a spilt-second, Austin was sorry that he did this to her. "It hurts so damn bad."

Austin kneeled before her, finally taking her into his arms for the first time in three weeks. Austin clenched her tightly, wanting nothing but to put her broken pieces back together. Ally responded, wrapping herself around him like a vine, shaking like a leaf that was about to fall.

"I'm so sorry." Ally whimpered into his shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry."

He rocked them back and forth. While he hated being the one to do it, she needed this.

"Shh, gorgeous. It's okay. You'll be okay."

As her crying subsided, they still sat in the middle of her floor, Austin leisurely rocking them back and forth.

"I love you." It was soft with a crack of emotion in the middle, but he missed hearing her say that so much.

Kissing her temple, he moved to place a soft kiss on her lips before kissing away some of her tears.

"I love you, gorgeous." He pulled her into his shoulder again. "So damn much."

* * *

 **There you go, guys. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **A lot of people will not approve of Ally's attitude, but I hope you all understand that grief makes you do some crazy, stupid things. She is not meaning to hurt the people she loves, all she can think about is avoiding anything and everything that keeps her from feeling that remorse of Leo's passing.**

 **Next chapter will be quite a time skip! Two months. Closer to graduation for Austin, spring break with the warmer weather, and some unexpected page turners ;)) I don't know when that should be up, but I do know it'll be soon considering I'm half-way through it.**

 **Happy New Year!**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	22. Chapter 22

"I can't believe you agreed for me." Ally shouted from her closet, packing her bags. Austin laughed from leaning against her headboard. "It'll be good for you, babe."

Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and before anyone knew it, Leo Thompson's death was two months behind them. While everyone was back to living their every day's lives, Ally was back to some sort of normalcy, but the stress was all she knew.

While she still had her days, she was slowly returning back to her normal self. Although something was still off that Austin could not pinpoint.

"Austin," Ally whined. "Why? What if I didn't want to go." She walked out with a pout to stare at him.

"Ally, it'll be good for you. A week away from here with your best friends, with no parental vision, for Spring Break. It'll be gorgeous weather, and Shane's beach house is unbelievable with an amazing view. You'll have an amazing time, I promise. It has to be good therapy."

With today being their last day of school for the next week, Austin and Ally decided to stay home in order to pack for their Spring Break trip with Trish, Shane, and Dez. All courtesy of Shane.

Ally sighed, looking down at the two bikinis' in her hands. "What do you think of these two?"

Austin smirked, looking at the two tiny pieces of clothing. "I don't know. Why don't you model them for me?"

Ally gave him a pointed look. "You are such a guy."

Austin chuckled, motioning for her to come to him. "No, Austin. I have to pack. I know what you want." Ally spoke sternly. Austin whined. "Oh, Ally. Please, we will barely get any alone time for the next week."

Ally raised her eyebrows in accusation. "Whose fault is that, honey?" With that, she walked back into the closet with a wink. "Ugh, women," Austin shouted to the ceiling, letting his head fall back.

He heard her laughter from the closet.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

It was not long before Ally was packed for the upcoming week and Shane pulled up. As Austin threw their luggage in the trunk, Ally hoped in the back with Trish. "God, you are driving. Should we be worried?"

"Ha. Ha. You are so funny, Allyson." Shane stated sarcastically from behind the wheel. Ally chuckled as Austin slid in beside her. "Everyone ready?" Shane questioned and everyone nodded.

"Let's hit the road jack!" Shane exclaimed excitedly, pulling from Ally's driveway.

"How far is this place," Ally interrogated, getting comfortable as she laid her head on Austin's shoulder.

"It's a good way away. About three and a half hours I think," Shane informed, and Ally's eyes widened. "Good grief," Ally murmured, and Dez looked back at her. "You'll have a good time, Al. We all will."

Ally smiled towards Dez in thanks. Maybe this week would not be so bad after all.

/

"Gorgeous, wake up."

Ally heard Austin coo into her ear, and she opened her eyes to be met with sunrays glaring harshly through the opened balcony doors. Groaning, she rolled over, shoving her face into Austin's bare chest. He chuckled.

"Come on, rise and shine, sunshine."

Ally breathed deeply through her nose, enjoying this feeling for a moment longer as she wrapped her arms tightly around Austin's waist to keep him in place. It was the first day here, although she did not remember arriving last night due to being asleep, this was perfect.

The warm breeze gusted through the doors while the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore from outside along the seagulls filled her ears. Laying here in a cozy bed with Austin made her want to wake up like this every morning.

"One day, I wanna have a house on the beach so I can wake up like this every day." Ally tiredly voiced her thoughts against Austin's chest. He laughed, leaning down to her ear, kissing it lightly.

"Well, one day I plan to marry you Ally Dawson, and I'll gladly buy you a beach house so you can wake up like this with me every morning," he whispered huskily into her ear before trailing kisses down the side of her neck. She was not sure if he was being serious, but she did not care as he kept trailing butterfly kisses lower and lower.

That was until someone banged on the door.

"Come on, lovebirds. Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacon." Of course, it was Shane.

"Shane, that's not the sayi-." He cut her off as per usual. "Pipe down, midget," he sang until he was further down the stairs. Ally rolled her eyes, burying back in Austin's hold. "Do we have to get up?" Austin laughed.

"I think so, baby."

Ally sighed, giving into rolling out of the bed to get ready for the day. Although, as she looked down at her outfit, she noticed she was in a sports bra and a pair of gym shorts. Turning to Austin, she raised an accusing eyebrow. "Did you change me last night?"

Austin smirked quickly before shrugging. Ally eyed him. Getting up, he walked over to her, kissing her soundly. "I've seen it all before, gorgeous." He tapped her behind before walking into the bathroom. "Hey! I was about to take a shower." Ally exclaimed, following him. He gripped the edge of the door, turning his head to face her.

"Well, come help me conserve water, then."

Ally stared at his retreating figure but followed him nonetheless.

While Ally had never showered with someone before, it was nice. Or, maybe it was because it was Austin, but nonetheless, Ally enjoyed it. She felt relaxed as she dressed in shorts and one of Austin's tees.

As they finished their morning routine, both bounded down the stairs to see the rest of the crew in the kitchen while Shane cooked. "Oh no, don't tell me Shane is cooking? You all have entirely too much trust in him." Ally joked, hopping on the countertops.

"Trust me, baby girl, you'll enjoy it."

Ally froze when the pet name fell from Shane's mouth, as did everyone else. "Al, I'm sorry. It just slipped and I –," Ally cut Shane's apology off with a weak smile. "Don't worry about it, Shane. It was an accident."

Everyone was silent, and Ally cleared her throat. Spotting a burnt piece of bacon that no one would eat, Ally picked it up and chunked it at Shane's head. He jumped, swatting before turning to glare at her. Every cracked a laugh.

"Okay, Dawson. Just wait." Shane promised.

Austin smiled. She was getting better.

"I'm so ready for this week." Trish contentedly spoke from her spot at the table. Everyone turned to smile at her, and Trish made eye contact with Ally. "Girl, you and I are so hitting up the shopping centers."

Ally snatched a piece of bacon while Shane popped her hand. "Um. Duh."

/

Ally sighed, maneuvering around on the blanket beneath as the sun rays beamed down on her back. "Trish." Trish continued to ramble on about Dez, and Ally rolled her eyes. "Trish, can you stop rambling about your boyfriend and put sunscreen on my back, please."

Trish stopped talking abruptly, a blush tinting her cheeks. "Dez is not my boyfriend," Trish grumbled, snatching the sunscreen out of Ally's hand. Ally smirked at the riled Latina. "Well, stop talking about him like one."

Trish continued to mumble under her breath as Trish lathered her with sunscreen. "Since when did you become so blunt," Trish questioned, plopping back down on her blanket beside her. Ally sat up, releasing her tousled waves from her bun. Shrugging, she looked around for the boys.

"Have no clue, but I kind of like it." Ally smiled innocently. "Of course, you do." Trish rolled her eyes.

"Oh, no. No way." Both girls turned around at the sound of Austin's voice. Turning, they spotted Shane, Dez, and Austin, all wearing nothing but their swim trunks. Ally let her eyes rake over her boyfriend. "What?" Ally asked as Shane sat down the cooler beside her.

"You two are not sitting up here. You are going swimming with us." Dez ordered, and both the girls shared a look before looking back at the guys.

"Umm." Ally trailed, and Austin shot her a stern look. "No, Als. You are not doing that. There are a million things to do here. There is an ocean, an ice cream stand, a volleyball net, a boardwalk. How can you two just be okay with laying up here?"

"Austin, we have to return with a tan. You did not go on Spring Break vacation if you didn't." Trish sassed. "Sweetheart, you get a better tan when you are wet. Hence, why it would be a better idea for you to go swimming with us." Austin argued back.

Ally sighed. "I don't know."

"Too late."

Before either of the girls had a say, they were being hoisted by Austin and Dez. "Austin! Wait, at least let me take my shorts off. They have my phone in them, and they are expensive!" Ally yelled.

Austin stopped not too far from the shoreline, placing Ally down. Ally stared up at Austin, and she rolled her eyes before removing her shorts and bikini cover.

This time it was Austin's turn to let his eyes roam. He could not help himself. The tiny, black bikini hugged her nicely. Ally smirked, throwing her clothes on her blanket. "Nothing you haven't seen before, hun."

Before Austin could say anything, Ally took off running towards the rest of the group in the water.

"Oh, you so aren't funny!"

Ally laughed, feeling the water splash onto her body as she traveled further.

As the day carried, Ally found herself having the time of her life. The entire day was filled with activities at the beach; swimming, volleyball, and tanning (much to the boys' dismay). As dinner rolled around and the sun began to set, Ally and Trish separated from the boys in order to gain some clarity and hit up the shops displayed around town.

"Oh, Al. What do you think of this place?" Trish pointed to a boutique they passed, their flip-flops sounding with each step on the bricked sidewalks. Ally turned, rising her sunglass to the top of her head as she sipped on a lemonade.

Between her salty, messy curls flowing down her back, the lemonade in her hand, and the shorts and bikini top she was styling, she felt like she walked straight out of the movie 'Spring Breakers'.

"Ohh, let's look." Ally beamed excitedly, running to the door. As the girls stepped in, they were in heaven at the options of clothing before them. After a while of digging through clothes racks, they exited before heading back to the beach house.

"Are you having fun," Trish questioned as they strolled. Ally turned to smile at Trish before nodding. "You know what? I am. This is amazing, I forgot how relaxing it is to be at a beach house without parents." Ally joked, and Trish laughed before agreeing.

"That's good. I've been kind of worried about you lately." Trish admitted softly, looking out at the boardwalk, the numerous amount of lights flashing. Ally furrowed her eyebrows, knowing what she was meaning.

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you like I should have," Ally muttered softly under her breath. Trish stopped swiftly, grabbing Ally's arm. "Ally, that's not what I meant," Trish informed delicately, and Ally stared down at Trish.

"I know, I just…I know you've been hurting too. I've been stuck in my own world that I've completely forgotten about you."

Trish grabbed her best friend's face between her hands. "Al, he was your best friend just as much as he was mine. We both grieved. We may not have grieved together, and that's okay. All that matters is, is that the both of us know we are always here for each other. Okay?"

Ally took in a shaky breath. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, Ally. I'm your family, you can tell me anything." Trish cooed, taking a seat on a nearby bench. "I'm so confused at what I'm feeling. I'm mostly angry. Angry at the driver that hit Leo, angry at God for taking my best friend, angry that the doctors couldn't do more. I'm angry at Austin for not being able to understand me, although it isn't his fault, I'm not letting him." She paused. "I'm angry at Leo for leaving. How selfish is that? And, now, that we are here, I feel even more selfish that I'm having fun. I feel like I shouldn't be having fun, but I am."

Ally looked down at her intertwined hands.

"Ally, Leo loved you. He would not have wanted you to feel selfish for having fun. We lost him three months ago, and I know that that isn't a very long time, but it's okay to have fun. It's okay to mourn one day and laugh the next. It's okay to feel as if your emotions are all over the place. You don't have to apologize for that."

Ally looked up at her best friend. Here they were, in the middle of a town they barely knew, having a heart to heart. They missed this.

"I love you." Ally expressed, gripping her hand.

"I love you, too. Promise me something."

Ally nodded.

"Promise me, no matter how hard it is, that you will start putting yourself and your thoughts first. I know it may be hard, and I know you may feel selfish, but Leo wanted you happy. I know he would, he told me. So, he would be over the moon if you put yourself first, I know that for a fact. So, promise me you will start doing that."

Ally took in the words. Looking up at the sky, she let oxygen fill her lungs before nodding.

"Okay. I promise."

/

Ally leaned her back against Austin's chest on the couch, covered in a blanket with a bowl of popcorn in her lap. The entirety of the living room was obscure, only the television providing light as a horror movie played.

Shane sat on the opposite end of the couch, Ally's legs propped in his lap as Trish got the recliner, leaving Dez on the floor to lean against the couch.

As the girl on the screen turned her back to the mirror, Dez threw a piece of popcorn at the screen. "Come on, don't be stupid. Turn around."

Ally chuckled, inserting another piece of popcorn in her mouth, fully absorbed in the movie.

As Austin reached around her to grab a piece, the figure in the mirror grabbed the girl. Ally jumped, a scream ripping from her throat as Austin's hand made contact with the bowl.

A course of curse words was heard, and Austin began chuckling. Ally nudged him. "Please refrain from grabbing something when a scary part is happening," Ally whispered to him, and he grabbed her bum out of spite.

Ally glared before turning back to the movie after giving him the bowl of popcorn.

"O my God, you are so stupid!" Shane yelled at the end of the movie. Ally laughed loudly, leaning her head back against Austin's shoulder. "Can we please watch the horror movie in peace, you goobs." Trish scolded.

By the time credits were rolling, Shane and Dez were grumbling about the characters as Ally began to remove herself slowly from Austin.

"Well, it's only ten. Are we really gonna hit the hay?" Shane questioned, looking down at his watch.

Trish yawned. "Yes, yes. I need my beauty sleep."

While the Shane and Dez groaned, Austin leaned down to Ally's ear. "Want to sneak out for a midnight walk on the beach?"

Ally grinned like a Cherise Cat. Nodding subtly, Austin waved goodnight to everyone before placing a hand on the low of Ally's back to guide her up the stairs.

"We are off guys. Night." Austin yelled halfway up the stairs. Moans of protest were heard from the guys and Trish laughed.

Upon entering their room, Austin carefully pushed Ally to their dresser. "Hurry and get dressed. I have an idea."

Ally furrowed her eyebrows towards him but made her way to the dresser nonetheless. While Austin walked out to the balcony, Ally slipped on a pair of denim shorts and a red bikini top. Grabbing her cover, she slipped it on just as Austin entered with a mischievous grin overtaking his face.

"What?" She questioned with a giggle. He was hiding his hands behind his back like a child.

Pulling his arms, he showed her a rope ladder. "We are doing an ultimate sneak out."

Ally let her eyes widened. "No way."

His shoulders fell. "Come on, Als. I'll go down first, it isn't that far down. I'll catch you if you slip. Nothing bad will happen."

Ally wavered.

He dropped the ladder before walking over to her. Placing his hands in her hands, he stared down at her. "Come on, gorgeous. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. What kind of boyfriend would I be?" He joked, and Ally cracked a smile.

"What kind of boyfriend has me sneaking out in the middle of the night?" Ally stared up into his hazel eyes.

"A normal one?" Austin questioned. Ally giggled before nodding. "Fine, but I swear to God if I fall."

Austin shook his head, throwing her a reassuring smile over his shoulder. "You won't. Trust me." He winked.

Ally rolled her eyes but followed Austin over the balcony. Although it took Ally a good minute before she would go down, she eventually lowered herself down to the patio, Austin's hands taking place on her waist as soon as she made it down far enough.

As they made it down to the shoreline, Ally said something that made Ally giggle before she kicked water towards him.

The wind blew off the water, whipping Ally's untamed locks harshly. Moonlight glimmered across the water, and Austin found himself mesmerized by the way Ally's eyes sparkled as she took in the scenery. Her lips turned up into a lazy smile, her arms crossed while her bare feet played in the sand.

She stared up at the stars before looking out where the ocean met the sky. The only source of light being the full moon above them.

In this moment, Austin vowed that she had never been more beautiful. But, he knew that was a lie.

Walking up behind her, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. Her hair blew in his face, but he found that he did not mind.

Ally relaxed into his hold. For the first time in the past two months, she felt some sort of lucidity, simplicity. God forbid something to take this away from her.

"I could stay like this forever." She spoke, her voice void of any hesitance. Austin smiled against her cheek.

It felt as if they were back in August before everything went to shit. They were back to sneaking out, going on joy rides to the private beach before they had become official. She wanted to go back so desperately.

 _Something about the beach at midnight._

Ally thought. Nothing could compare to the feeling she got walking on the beach, the moon high in the sky and the waves a lot harsh than at mid-day. The air was cooler and the winds were relentless. Peaceful and quiet. Not a soul in sight, leaving her and the one she loved to be completely unbothered. Everyday life did not exist.

Ally looked around. Spotting surfboards leaning against a building, she smirked. Turning around, she removed herself from Austin. Time to show him something he did not know about her.

"What are you doing?" Austin asked, following her movements to remove her top and shorts. She motioned for him to follow her as she made her way to the surfboards. "Ally?"

Ally began to walk faster towards the building. Looking around for cameras, she smiled in relief upon not spotting any. They must have had immense trust around here.

"Ally, what the hell are you doing? You have to rent those." Austin whispered, almost as if he were afraid someone would see them. Turning to him, she shot him a smirk.

"Come on, babe. Live a little."

Austin's eyes widened. Where did his Ally go?

"Since when do you surf?" Austin questioned, grabbing one as he looked over his shoulder. Ally smiled, grabbing a smaller one before tucking it under her arm.

"I spent a summer with my father in California a couple of years back. My cousins taught me to surf. I don't do it much anymore because the waves here aren't nearly like the ones there." Ally explained, placing a hand over her eyes as if she were searching for something.

"But, tonight, the waves are pretty damn great."

With that, she took off running towards the ocean. Austin nearly had a heart attack as he lost her petite body when she dove into the water.

"Ally!"

When she rose, she was laughing. He took a breather, walking towards the water.

"God, don't do that. The tide is stronger at night, it'll rip you away." Austin scolded, and a bout of laughter rumbled from Ally. "I'm sorry, I don't recall my father following me on this trip." Ally teased, and Austin glared, pinching her side.

"Shut it, you ass. I would like to be able to take you back to your father, so."

Ally laughed again as she waded further. "Ready?" Ally turned back to Austin, and Austin nodded, excited to see what she could do. She was so tiny, he figured she would be swept off her feet. But, as always, she amazed him.

Riding out a wave, Ally did multiple tricks and snaps, something that Austin did not know. And, he had been surfing all of his life.

Austin whistled as she ended, his eyes wide. "What the hell? There ya go, baby." He praised, high fiving her. She laughed out loud, pushing wet strands of hair out of her face.

And, that's what the couple did until early hours in the morning. Surfing back and forth underneath the moonbeams. Sharing salty kisses, and lounging on their surfboards, reminiscing moments from their past together.

Ally smiled at the thought of never running out of things to talk about.

As they finished, they walked back up towards the shack to return the surfboards. Both smelled of the ocean, and their skin withered.

Placing their boards back against the wall, Ally fiddled with her short pockets, pulling out a twenty. Austin watched as she slipped it under the door, and he smiled. Looking up, she caught his gaze.

"What? We may have stolen them for a couple of hours, but at least we paid."

Yep. Every minute she continued to amaze him.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is more fun filled, giving everyone a break from the heartbreak. I hope that everyone had a safe, happy new year. It's 2018, baby!**

 **If you liked this chapter, leave a review ;)**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	23. Chapter 23

Ally walked into the hallways of Miami High. After not being here in a week's time, she felt strange seeing the familiar hallway that held Leo's memorial down at the end of it beside his locker.

However; as much as Ally wanted to avoid that part of the school, she could not. Her locker was right next to his.

Ally did not bother to pay any mind to the student body around her. Even though it had been two months, mummers and stares were common when Ally Dawson was walking down the halls.

"Al! Hey, how was Spring Break?"

Ally nearly jumped out of her skin when hearing her name being called loudly from behind her. Turning to face Dallas, she smiled in his direction. "Hey, Dal. It was really, really great. How was yours'?"

The statement was not a lie. Ally had had the time of her life during spring break. The vacation away from home, to the beach, with her best friends was the perfect therapy, and she had needed it terribly. Although she hated admitting Austin was right, she did not mind hearing the 'I told you so' speech coming from him as she pouted upon departure.

"Eh, quite boring. I was with my dad majority of the time, reviewing colleges." He leaned against the lockers as they came to a stop at hers. Ally forced herself not to look.

"But, you look good!" He exclaimed with a sweet smile, gesturing towards her figure. Ally smiled at him in thanks before looking down at herself. "Got a tan, a manicure and pedicure, and lighter hair. You really did party, didn't you?" He joked, and Ally laughed, genuinely surprised at his observations.

"Yep, every girl's dream during spring break." She returned the joking matter.

Spotting Austin walking towards her direction, she smiled. Yet; it fell when noticing his frown at Dallas accompanying her. He greeted her normally nonetheless.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He leaned down to peck her lips quickly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Dallas's face grimaced. "Harris." Austin acknowledged him with a nod, and Dallas returned it.

"Moon. Heard you had a good Spring Break."

Austin smirked. The news was out that Shane Davis, Austin Moon, and Dezmond Worthy spent Spring Break at Shane's beach house, but no one knew Ally and Trish were there.

"Well, of course, I had my girl with me," Austin spoke cockily, pulling her tighter to him. Dallas's eyes widened. "Dawson spent it with you?"

Ally seemed to freeze at Dallas calling her by her last name.

" _Shut the fuck up, Dawson."_

Ally glanced up at Dallas, locking her eyes with his green ones. Raising an eyebrow, her forehead creased in worry at not being able to pinpoint the feeling that was filling her chest. Everything froze, and she could not tear her eyes from his.

Dallas shot her a questioning look, and Ally looked down at the floor quickly.

It was probably nothing. He had called her Dawson plenty of times before, right?

"Hey," Austin whispered gently, and Ally looked up at him, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You okay?" He questioned quietly. He knew that look, knew that stance.

She nodded frantically before clearing her throat. "Yeah, yeah." Her voiced cracked at first. "I'm fine. I just remembered I had to go give Trish an assignment she did not do. I'll catch you later."

Leaning up to peck his cheek, she bided both the boys' goodbye before rushing down the hall.

/

Austin watched the cheerleaders practice from the bleachers, waiting for Ally so he could take her home. Although the wait was long, he could not find it in himself to mind. Watching her do what she loved seemed to spark some sort of relief inside him, relief that she was enjoying something.

Even with Leo passing, Ally threw herself harder into working on the squad. Perfecting anything and everything for competition.

"Okay, guys! That was good!" Ally announced as the pyramid broke, all to surround their captain. "Next week, same days and the same time. Competition is next Friday!" She squealed, and many chuckled at her.

"Hey, Al?" Casey stepped up and Ally gave her, her attention. "When are you going to hold auditions to replace Leo?"

Everyone took in a sharp breath, even Austin himself. However; Ally did not explode like he thought she was going too.

"Um, I-I don't know. With competition so close, I think we should just use what we have right now. I'll hold auditions next season." Her voice was timid, but it got the point across. Everyone nodded. "Alright, see you guys Thursday."

Ally walked up over towards the end of the bleachers to meet Austin, him reaching to grab her gym bag. "Sorry you had to wait, my car should be fixed soon." Ally reassured, and Austin chuckled, shaking his head.

"Als, I don't mind. You know that." He informed once again while opening the passenger side door for her. Ally rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him.

Closing the door behind her, Austin placed her belongings in the back before hopping in the drivers' seat.

"Hey, what was really up earlier?" Austin questioned, not being able to shake Ally's odd behavior for this morning.

Ally sighed, shaking her head. "Really, Aus. It was nothing. I think it was just a mini panic I had." Ally informed, and Austin shot her a worried glance. "Do you get those often?" He asked, indicating to turn at a stop sign.

"Als, I don't think that's healthy." Austin trailed, running a hand through his muddled locks. Ally shrugged, taking a sip from her water bottle. "I'm sure it is normal, Aus. Don't worry too much about it, I don't."

While Austin dropped the subject, he kept watching her from his peripheral.

Shaking his head, he pulled into her drive. "Here ya go, gorgeous. Home sweet home." Ally laughed, leaning to kiss him softly.

"Thank you, handsome. Are you sure you don't want to come in for a little bit?" She pouted, and the sight made Austin want to forget about his responsibilities for the evening. "I really would, baby, but I can't. I'll call you though, okay?"

Ally sighed sadly but placed a soft smile on her lips in understanding. She nodded, kissing him once more before heading inside.

"Dad? Are you home?" Ally called when walking through the front door. The house was remotely quiet, but the lights were on. Sitting her gym bag down beside the front door, Ally made her way into the kitchen.

Ally groaned. "What the hell are you doing here?" Ally questioned upon seeing her mother standing behind the marble counter. Penny frowned at her welcome. "Allyson, that isn't very nice."

Ally shot her a look, reaching to grab an apple before turning to head upstairs.

"Ally, wait!" Penny exclaimed, and Ally stopped, rolling her eyes before turning to face her mother. "What?" Ally questioned impatiently.

Penny sighed with a pleading look. "Please come sit down, I really need to talk to you about something. Please."

Ally continued to study her, not wanting to sit and listen to anything she had to say, but nonetheless, Ally walked to the bar and sat. Waving for her mother to continue, Ally bit into her apple.

"I have an offer to make you," Penny spoke, and Ally rolled her eyes. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll say no."

Penny sighed, ignoring her daughter's comment.

"I know you are beyond mad at me, but despite what you may think, I've made a good life for myself." Penny carried on, and Ally sent her a point looked. "Yeah, away from your daughter and husband."

"I'm gonna ignore that," Penny commented. "When I moved away, I moved to Manhattan."

Ally continued to stare at her mother, chewing on the bites of her apple, boredom clear on her face.

Penny sighed when not getting a reaction from her daughter.

"I finished out my education at college to become a professor at New York City University."

This time, Ally let her eyes widened. She had not known that information about her mother, although, she did not give her time to inform her on her current life.

"Aren't you supposed to be there now, teaching?" Ally asked softly. Penny felt a small smile take over, it was the first thing her daughter had said to her in months with no source of anger.

"I took leave. I told them I had a family emergency." Penny's voice was in a whisper.

Ally ran a hand through her hair, placing her half-eaten apple on the counter before looking up at her mother.

"Why did you come back? Why did it take you six years?" Ally's voiced cracked, and she hated herself for it.

Penny frowned, reaching her hand out to grab Ally's hand. Ally jumped, going to jerk her hand away, but thought against it. Penny felt her heart swell.

"My father died."

Ally shot her head up, looking at her mother in shock.

"What?"

Penny breathed, taking a seat, never releasing Ally's hand.

"Honey, when I left six years ago, I didn't do it by choice. Your grandfather was not a very nice man, and now that I think about it, neither was your grandmother. I grew up in New York, with a family that had money. However; I grew up with the wrong mindset. I was literally like Blaire off Gossip Girl."

Ally gasped, throwing a hand over her mouth. Both laughed until realizing and then froze.

Penny cleared her throat. "Anyways. I changed after I met your father. He was a young lawyer in the middle of New York, I was still in college, the college that my parents wanted. I was the spoiled, little rich girl that fell in love with your father. However; of course, my parents did not approve, claiming he was changing me and the way I thought. The way I saw the world. Putting things, objects, and people above money. My parents demanded I stop seeing him. Kind of cliché if you ask me, but that's how it happened."

Ally remained quiet, deciding to not interrupt her, for once.

"But, for once in my life, I went against my parents' wishes. I dropped out of college, I eloped with your father, and he got a job offer in Miami. I ran away from home to have a better life with your father. We made a life for ourselves here, and then, we got pregnant with a beautiful baby girl." Penny leaned to caress Ally's face, and Ally closed her eyes, leaning into her mother's touch.

Tears filled the brim of her eyes. She could not remember what her mother's touch felt like.

"Word got out to my parent's people that Penny Dawson was pregnant and a housewife. My mother made contact with me years later. While I despised them for trying to control my life, I still wanted my mother, so I let her in. She wanted to see you, you were maybe eight or nine, so I let her visit, thinking she changed. She stayed for a couple of weeks, and I was thinking it was because she was bonding with you, then you got sick."

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. She remembered being ill, but she did not remember her childhood before that, she did not remember her grandmother. Tears welled in Penny's eyes, and Ally found herself gripping her mother's hand in comfort.

"You got really, really sick. A bacterial infection with a high fever that would have killed you without surgery, but back then, your father was only a rookie at the firm. I wasn't working, so, I turned to my mother to pay for it, I was desperate. You did not have insurance, and it was so, so expensive. Hospital bills were piling up considering you stayed in and out for about a year."

Ally let her eyes wander.

"My mother got my father involved. Your health was on the line, and I did not know what else to do. So, I talked to my parents behind your father's back. They offered to pay your medical bills and your health, but with one condition." Tears rolled down Penny's face. Relief settled in her stomach, replacing the continuous, never-ending, butterflies of nerves that danced in her abdomen. The breath caught in her chest before ever leaving her lungs, and the only thought in her mind was telling her daughter the truth.

"To leave my family to move back up there with them, giving them the reins to my life. I argued and fought, thinking that maybe we could come up with a way to pay for it, but we couldn't. They gave me an offer I could not, would not refuse. To save your life. So, I took the deal. They told me to sign my half, leave nothing behind, and that their people would take care of it. I did, but it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Ally felt one tear after another fall down her face. Her mother went through all of this and she did not know it.

"You said you came back because your father died?" Ally quizzed carefully. Penny smiled softly. "Yes, my parents were bastards, but I loved them. They both got sick around the same time last year, and I had gained their trust back by then for them to put me on their will. I took care of them, knowing that once they passed, I could make my way back to find you. It's taken a while, and I am so, so sorry, honey."

Ally remained frozen, her brain unable to comprehend what she just heard. "Why-why didn't you tell me?" Ally was careful with her vocals, scared it would betray her unwanted emotions. "You didn't really give me a chance," Penny expressed gently, pushing fallen strands from her face.

Ally sighed, wiping her face before standing on weakened legs. Walking around to her mother, and for the first time in six years, Ally felt the comfort of a mother, her mother. Burying her face in the crook of Penny's neck, Ally shook with whimpers.

"I'm so sorry," Ally cried softly, and Penny choked up. "No, no, baby. I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner, should have found a way around it." Penny reassured, running her fingers through her daughter's locks.

Ally breathed, tightening her hold. Suddenly, everything felt okay. She thought she had that feeling with Austin, she thought she had that feeling with her father, but it was her mother's touch that gave her security like nobody else.

"You said you had an offer?" Ally asked, pulling away to wipe her face.

"Oh, yeah." Penny laughed nervously. "I have a job and everything in Manhattan, so I need to go back."

Ally felt her eyes widened. "You are leaving again."

"Not for good, honey, but I do live in Manhattan. I have a job, baby. I need to get back, but, I want you to go with me. Would you?"

Ally stepped back, not believing what she was hearing. "What, mom, no. I have a life here; school, friends, competition, dad, Austin," Ally listed the multiple things that grounded her in Miami.

"Not forever, sweetheart. Since I work with NYU, I was thinking you would like to join our dual enrollment as a high schooler, come up to start. It would be great for your career, and you would have a high chance at being accepted to an amazing college in the world's greatest city." Penny explained quickly before she could say no.

Ally pondered. "Mom, I don't think so."

"Honey, I know that this is short notice. I just know that NYU is on your list of colleges, and I would love to be the one to provide that for you. I've already missed so much of your life."

Ally stared at the ground before shaking her head. "Mom, no, I'm sorry. I can't. I can't just drop school, the squad, Austin or my friends. Austin's graduation is coming up soon, and with everything recently happening with Leo. I hope you can understand."

Penny frowned but nodded in understanding. "I get it, honey. But remember, the offer is always, always open. I'm always available when you need me, from here on out."

Ally smiled brightly. It would take a while to mend the broken relationship between herself and her mother, but with the information that she just received, it was not impossible. There was a lot her mother and herself had to catch up on, and Ally wanted an explanation to why she did some of the things she did. However; they did not have time for that, not yet at least.

/

A whole month and a couple of weeks had passed since spring break ended, and Ally had found out the truth from her mother. And Ally could finally say that her life was normal again. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her in weeks, and it had been the longest period of normalcy since August.

Her mother had left to go back to Manhattan the day after the talk in the kitchen, and while she told Austin the backstory as to why Penny left, she failed to say anything about the offer. She did not know if she wanted it. Manhattan was too far away from what she knew, and she was not sure if she was ready to step out of her comfort zone. Austin surely would push her to do so if he knew.

She did not mention anything to her father. Ally figured if her mother wanted her father to know anything, she would sit down and tell him. In all honesty, Lester still thought Ally and Penny were at each other's' throats.

Now, the school year was coming to an end. Her junior year was officially over, and Ally could finally breathe. When people said that junior year of high school was the most stressful year of your high school career, they were not lying. In all truth, Ally Dawson's junior year felt like the most stressful year of her life.

"Ally! Hi, sweet girl, how are you? I feel like I have not seen you in forever," Mimi exclaimed upon opening the front door. Ally smiled, reaching to hug Mimi tightly. "Probably because you haven't," Ally joked, "finals have been kicking my butt."

Mimi laughed, opening the door wider to let her in.

"Austin is still upstairs sleeping, I have breakfast on the table if you want some." Mimi gestured towards the kitchen, and Ally smiled politely in thanks.

"Those are gorgeous," Mimi complimented the flowers in Ally's hand, reaching to grab a vase. "Well, I have Austin's graduation gift, but I decided to get flowers on the way over here." Ally informed, placing them in the vase.

"How is he still sleeping anyways, I would be freaking out." Ally admitted, sitting at the bar. Mimi laughed before shrugging. "I don't know, I've been freaking out since the beginning of the week. My baby boy is graduating!"

Ally smiled at Mimi's excitement. "I'm gonna go wake him if that's okay?"

Mimi waved her hand in permission. "Of course, sweet. Go on up." Ally giggled, kissing her cheek before grabbing a piece of toast and tossing it into her mouth. Making her way up the stairs, Ally knocked gently on Austin's door.

"Austin, baby, are you up?" Ally called and shook her head when getting no answer. Opening it slowly, Ally peaked in to see him sprawled out, tangled in the sheets. Ally smirked when seeing him on his stomach.

Walking towards the end of his bed, Ally counted to three in her head before launching herself on top of him. "Wake up, wake up, wake up," Ally shook him as she chanted. Austin jumped beneath her, turning to spot his girlfriend grinning cheerfully. He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Come on, sweetie. You graduate today," Ally cooed, leaning down to grip his shoulders and whisper in his ear. Austin failed to contain his smile. Turning beneath her, he stared up at her. She was vibrant.

"Alright, alright. I'm up." Austin groaned, and Ally leaned down to cuddle with him. She hummed when Austin began rubbing up and down her back. "Wasn't the point of you waking me to get me up? Because I wanna stay here," Austin teased, and Ally laughed.

"Nope, come on, superstar. You need to get up. You got a big day today." Ally claimed, getting off of him. Austin huffed, rolling over to watch her as she fixed her hair in his dresser mirror.

"You look beautiful," Austin complimented, and Ally rolled her eyes. "I would hope so, I would hate to look bad for your graduation." Ally teased. "But, thank you."

Austin winked, groaning as he removed himself from his bed.

While Austin ran his hands through his bed head, Ally did not miss the chance to appreciate the body God blessed him with. "You are staring, Ms. Dawson," Austin smirked, and Ally raised her eyebrows.

"Last time I checked, Moon, I'm allowed too." Ally winked, reaching to wrap her arms around his neck. Austin raised her from the floor slightly.

"That you are," he smiled, kissing her firmly before she swatted his chest. He placed her down. "Get dressed, I have to go help your mom."

Ally went to the door, but Austin grabbed her wrist to pull her back into him. He captured one last kiss. "I love you," he murmured, and Ally's cheeks hurt from the sudden smile.

"I love you too."

She kissed him once more before heading downstairs.

/

"Dude, I'm gonna actually gonna miss this," Shane claimed.

Austin, Dez, and Shane all stood in the middle of the football field, right on the permanently painted 'M'.

"It's gonna be weird," Dez spoke, staring up at the scoreboard. "Even though Austin came on the team sophomore year, we've always played together, even in middle school. Now, we are all going to different colleges."

The three became silent.

"Aus? What about you, gonna throw something sappy in?" Shane teased, although seriousness was heard in his voice.

Austin shrugged, looking around at the place that had been his stage the past three years.

"I don't know if I'm ready to lose the reins yet," Austin admitted selfishly, but Shane and Dez nodded in understanding.

"I don't know if I'm ready to give up the Friday night lights, walking down the hallways, seeing Ally cheer on the sidelines, or-or goofing off with you guys in the weight room. We are about to be adults. And, damn, it's scary." Austin stressed, running his fingers through his hair.

The three boys each let out a breath of air.

Ally smiled fondly, watching her boys standing in the middle of the field. While it was their big day, she felt some sort of remorse. Swallowing, she walked towards them, none of them noticing her as their backs were turned to her.

"Looky there, my favorite boys." Ally smiled livelily, and they turned around.

"You are a cheerleader, you aren't supposed to have favorites," Dez teased, and Ally shot him a pointed look. "Don't tell."

The four laughed. "What are you doing out here," Austin interrogated, and Ally raised her eyebrows. "I could ask you the same thing, superstar. You three are going to be late for the ceremony."

The three boys looked at each other. "Nah."

Ally laughed. "Guys, seriously."

Shane shook his head. "Shut it, midget. Let us reminisce, it's our graduation day."

Ally rolled her eyes before digging through her purse. "I was gonna give you three these for your graduation present later, but I think now would be a perfect time." Ally claimed, pulling out three small, black boxes with their names written on them.

They all gave her a questioning look. "Oh, hush. Open them."

Each of them opened it slowly. "Al, oh my gosh." Shane gasped. All three of them held up their gifts at the same time. All sliver chains with their football numbers dangling.

"You three have been playing together forever, and even though you three are going to different colleges, I wanted to give you each something to remember the game, your friendship, and your high school."

The three boys stared at her in amazement before Shane broke it. Walking towards her, he hoisted her in the air. "We are graduating! Woo!"

Unlike the last time he did this, Ally laughed instead of yelling.

"You are my favorite cheerleader," Shane claimed, and Ally rolled her eyes as he sat her down.

"You are a football player, all the cheerleaders should be your favorite," Ally mocked Dez, and Shane winked. "Don't tell."

All three of them pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms tightly around them. They had been her rocks all year, and she doubted she would have made it through junior year without them.

"Alright, enough with the sappy crap, because I'm already gonna cry during the ceremony. Let's go, you guys have to graduate."

Ally hopped on Austin's back, and he chuckled.

"For old time's sake."

/

It was not long until the ceremony was over, and Ally was holding back tears, along with Mimi, as they watched Austin's class throw up their caps.

As the graduates spread, families came pouring out of the bleachers onto the gym floor.

Ally felt giddy, pride feeling her. Upon reaching Austin, Ally hugged him tightly, allowing him to pick her up and spin her around.

"I'm officially a graduate," Austin exclaimed excitedly, and Ally laughed, hugging him tightly as he sat her down. "I'm so proud of you, superstar," Ally congratulated, reaching up to kiss him soundly.

The heard the snap of a camera. Turning, Ally spotted Mimi gushing.

"Oh, my goodness, that is going on film," she squealed, showing Mike. Ally laughed, leaning into Austin upon Mimi request for another picture.

"Photobomb!" Shane shouted, and before the couple knew it, Shane and Dez had thrown their arms around the two. "What the hell," Austin expressed, startled, and Ally laughed as Mimi snapped away on her camera.

"Okay, okay. Mimi, come hug your son, I'll take pictures," Ally ordered sternly, and Mimi pouted. "But, I have to take pictures show you two can show your kids someday."

Ally giggled at the ridiculous analogy, motioning for Mimi to give her the camera. "I think we have plenty. Go on, Mike, you too"

After numerous of photos, hugs, and congratulations, the Moon family was heading back to the household to throw Austin a congratulatory dinner with the rest of his family.

"You are coming, right?" Austin asked as they stepped out of the gym into the lobby. Ally smiled up at him, cupping his cheek as she kissed him. "I am, I'll meet you guys there."

"Okay, okay. Be careful." Austin ordered softly, pecking her lips before heading out of the building.

Ally smiled in his directions, heading for the restroom so she could get going.

"Hey, Als, are you going to Austin's?" Shane quizzed in passing, and Ally nodded. "Yeah, I'm heading to the ladies' room now before going that way."

Shane nodded, removing himself from his cap and gown. "Alright, well I'm catching a ride with you. I'm ninety percent sure I won't find Dez in time."

Ally laughed before nodding. "Alright, I'll meet you out front. Here," Ally tossed him the keys before opening the door to the bathroom.

While it appeared empty, the unusual conversation in the bathroom stall proved otherwise. How was it unusual? There was a girl and a guy. According to their hasty whispers, the conversation seemed important and fast-paced.

"Why in the hell am I hiding out in the women's bathroom, Kira!" the masculine voice hissed, and Ally's eyes widened.

"Kira?" She mouthed to herself, pausing her steps in order to keep quiet.

"Because, Dallas, Austin and Ally were just outside. That's why, idiot."

Ally froze. Why were Dallas and Kira in a bathroom stall, whispering about Austin and herself?

"So? What? I did what you asked me to do forever ago, the deal was complete, Austin got the girl. I lose."

"Wow, Harris did not expect you to give up so quickly. I also did not expect you to admit you lost so easily."

"Kira, I'm graduated now. I'm fucking eighteen years old, if they find that I drugged Ally and nearly raped her, my life is over! Do you understand that?" Dallas yelled, and Ally choked on the air that did not leave her lungs.

The conversation stopped, but Ally could not move. It was him. Dallas was her attacker.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

The pressuring of drinking the alcohol, the constant questions, the reappearing every time Austin and Ally were at each other's throats, the sudden interest in her, and Dallas always being around. He was everywhere she turned, never missing a step. He held the reins the entire time, and he knew just how to get under Austin's skin.

He was her attacker. God, why was she so damn stupid?

"Go out there and see who that is," Kira snapped, and at the unlocking of the stall, Ally sprang into action, fleeing from the restroom.

"Ally, wait!"

Ally nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Dallas' frantic voice from behind her. Opening the gym doors, Ally threw them shut before rushing around the building towards the parking lot.

Until she was thrown harshly against the brick wall.

"Damn it, Dawson. I'll give it to ya, you can run in heels," Dallas panted, gripping her hips to pin her in place. A short scream ripped from Ally's throat, but Dallas quickly went to silence her, the scream echoing in the distance.

"Shut the fuck up, Dawson."

Ally swiftly stilled, tear after tear making way down her face. This could not be happening, not again. Multiple sobs left her crippling, sliding down the wall with Dallas following her, crouching in front of her.

"Dawson, I'm not gonna hurt you, if you'll just be quiet damn it."

Ally tried, but she failed. The panic in her chest was intensifying, something she could not confine. She was unsuccessful at catching her hurried breathing, and her eyesight was fading. Looking up at Dallas, she caught sight of those horrific green eyes. She turned her head.

"Ally, look at me, and listen."

Ally challenged his orders, and he gripped a handful of her hair. She yelped, and he covered her mouth once again.

"Listen to me and listen good. You won't say a fucking word, do you understand? If you do, you'll regret it. I can promise you."

Through her tears, Ally sent him a harsh glare, and he raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"Ah, you always had a fire in you, Ally Dawson, but you need to be careful. Ever heard don't fight fire with fire?" He chuckled, and Ally bit his hand.

He yelled. "You bitch!"

Ally took the chance to fight back, with words.

"You really think you can get away with sexual assault? Did you forget who I was?" Ally gritted, and Dallas shrugged.

"I know exactly who you are, Ally, but you've forgotten who I am. Why do you think no one remembers 'seeing' me go up with you at the party, why do you think the investigation did not go through, and why do you think no one seemed concerned? Go ahead, try to throw me in jail, but don't forget whose father has power in this city. My father is your father's boss, my father has access to every college in the state, even Austin's, Shane's, and Dez's. My father can make this all go away, and you, you and the people you love will be left with nothing."

Dallas gripped her hair harder, bringing her closure to him.

"The world isn't fair, Al. It's either kill or be killed, and I have officially made my way to the top. You are nothing but a failed one night stand that can't except the fact that she got a little too drunk. You don't remember what happened, Ally, but I do. Do yourself and everyone a favor, keep your pretty mouth fucking shut, and everything will be okay. Just except that you are a slut that couldn't resist me, it's so much easier."

Ally swallowed, her lip wobbling.

"Aw, don't look so sad, baby girl."

Ally looked up at the sky, her entire body shaking.

"Now, I'm gonna go. I have an after party to attend, and I hear so do you, better fix that pretty face."

Dallas got up, walking away from the quivering brunette before turning back to her. All Ally could see was his silhouette and those green eyes.

"Don't cross me, Ally. I've got eyes everywhere."

Ally wrapped her arms tightly around herself, unable to control her tremors of fear. Ugly sobs sounded from her throat, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Ally?" Shane yelled in question from around the corner, and Ally's eyes widened, trying to raise herself to her feet. She failed.

"Ally, is that you?" Shane questioned when spotting a petite body folded into itself. "Ally! Hey, what happened," Shane was quick to reach the brunette, and all Ally wanted to do was spill everything she just learned. There was no doubt in her mind that Shane would not let Dallas get away without a good beating, but then she thought about the people she loved.

Ally shook her head, trying to catch her breath.

"Okay, let's get you to the car and to Austin, alright?" Shane cooed softly, wrapping his arms underneath her to cradle her gently.

 _Do I really want to go to Austin like this?_

Ally thought, and she felt fear spike through her. Austin would demand everything that had happened, and she could not lie to him. It was something she could not physically and mentally do. Austin knew her too well, and lying to the person she loved was something Ally was not good at.

As Shane sat her down in the passenger seat, Ally collected herself on the way towards Austin's.

"Hey, Shane?" Ally whispered, and Shane acknowledges her with the turning of his head.

"Can we not mention this to Austin? Please." Ally pleaded, and Shane furrowed his eyebrows.

"Al? What happened? Why don't you want to tell Austin?"

Ally shook her head.

"Shane, it was a panic attack. I get them, and whenever I do, Austin worries. It's nothing to tell Austin, I don't want him worrying. I don't want to ruin the night. Okay? Let's just not worry about it."

"Ally, if it were just a panic attack, then why were you against the building in the dark?"

Damn it.

"Because, do you realize how strange you look having a panic attack in the middle of everyone? I ran to the first place I wouldn't be seen." Ally expressed, almost helplessly. Shane did not look convinced. "Al, I don't know," Shane trailed, and Ally grew impatience.

"Shane, if you are my friend, you will keep it to yourself and respect my wishes. Austin is my boyfriend, not my damn husband, do you understand?" Ally snapped, and Shane sighed before nodding.

Ally nodded silently. "Thank you."

"No problem."

/

Arriving at the after party for Austin's graduation was hard for Ally. The entire night was filled with her pretending to be happy and carefree. Laughing, dancing, drinking, and while she was with Austin, the thought of never telling him what happened was killing her.

She did not feel safe. She felt violated, watched, and sick, but she could not do anything about it. Not with the people she cared about suffering her consequences. She believed Dallas, everything added up, and he could get away with it. He had too much money and too many people to go up against.

So, as Ally put Austin to bed in the earlier hours of the morning, she made the decision that would be the best to protect herself and the people around her.

Ally tucked Austin in, bring the covers up to his neck tightly. She smiled, thinking of all the times she was sick or in a panic that he did the same for her. Maneuvering the blond strands out of his eyes, she left a lingering kiss on his forehead. Gripping his hand, she went to set at his desk for a little bit.

Glancing at the clock on his bedside, she took notice that it was a little past two a.m. Grabbing her things, turning off this desk light, and kissing him once more, Ally headed for the door. She watched him for a moment longer before closing it carefully and heading out of the house.

A single tear fell down her cheek as she sat in her car. After tonight things would not be the same. Another tear fell, then another, and Ally was crying until she could not catch her breath.

Clenching her chest, this was at the top of one of the hardest things she had ever done.

She wanted to do it differently. At any moment, Ally could change her mind. Go back inside the house to go curl up beside Austin, and everything in her world would be okay. Wake him up, allow him to wrap his arms around her while rocking her back and forth, forcing her to tell him what was wrong. He would promise her that he would take care of it, promise that he would make it go away. But it was not that easy. God, why could it not be that easy?

So, with one last look, Ally prayed to any God above that Austin would forgive her for this.

/

(Eight Hours Later)

 _Ding dong._

Penny Dawson furrowed her eyebrows at the sound of her doorbell. Placing her coffee cup down, Penny marked the lesson plans she was overlooking before going to answer the door.

Upon opening it, Penny's heart stopped.

In front of her, was her daughter. Her teary-eyed, mentally exhausted, and physically drained daughter with a suitcase.

"Ally, honey, what are you doing here?" Penny questioned in concern, reaching to pull her into a hug.

Ally trembled, falling into her mother.

"Can I stay here for a while?"

* * *

 **There you go! Chapter 23 was a long, long one! A lot happened in this chapter, and a lot of questions were left under answered. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **God bless.**

 **~Meg**


	24. Chapter 24

_Previously..._

" _Ally, honey, what are you doing here?" Penny questioned in concern, reaching to pull her into a hug._

 _Ally trembled, falling into her mother._

" _Can I stay here for a while?"_

 _/_

Penny held tightly to her daughter, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had just shown up at her doormat.

Ally nuzzled her head into her mother's neck, closing her eyes as she breathed. Gripping her mother's figure tightly, Ally pushed back tears at the thought of Austin waking to find her gone.

"Ally, honey, what's going on?" Penny interrogated, reaching to grab her luggage before shutting the door. Guiding them to the couch, Penny smoothed out Ally's hair as she wiped her tears.

"I just ruined everything." Ally whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

Penny's worry grew immensely. "Baby, you need to tell me what's going on," Penny lulled to her daughter. "I can help you, but you need to tell me."

Ally shook her head, physically curling into her mother's side. Penny stared down at her brokenhearted little girl. Relaxing on the couch, Penny soothed Ally as she laid in her lap. After a couple of minutes, Penny began to carefully question her.

"Does your father know you are here?" Penny quizzed quietly, and Ally shook her head. "He's been on a business trip, but I left a note."

Her answer was vague, but it gave Penny what she needed.

"What did you ruin, sweetheart? What did you mean?"

Ally took in a sharp breath, more tears fell. "My relationship. My friendships. Everything."

Penny froze. "Oh, Ally, you didn't?"

Ally stifled another cry. "I didn't want too."

Penny looked around the room in thought.

Her daughter had done the same thing she had done six years ago.

/

Austin groaned at the sunlight shining brightly through his balcony windows, rolling over to bury his face into the pillow. Reaching out to Ally, he furrowed his eyebrows when not finding her.

The smell of something cooking downstairs made Austin's stomach grumble, and he glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was past noon.

 _No wonder Ally isn't in bed._

Forcing himself out of the comfort of his sheets, Austin slide on a pair of sweats before heading downstairs. Reaching the last set of steps, he went to ruffle his hair before entering the kitchen.

"About time you woke up, son," his father teased, and Austin chuckled with a roll of his eyes. Noticing the bar was empty, where Ally usually sat, Austin found his mother standing at the stove.

"Hey mom, have you seen Ally?" Austin asked, taking a seat. Mimi turned to give him a questioning look. "Ally left around two this morning, she put you to bed because you were acting like a ten-year-old," Mimi joked, and Austin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry about that, thanks for last night, by the way."

Both his parents smiled at him but went back to doing their current occupation.

"Why did she leave so late?" Austin interrogated, and Mimi shrugged. "I'm not sure, hon. I think she mumbled something about having to take care of something at home."

"At two in the morning while her father is out of town?"

Mimi shrugged once again. "Maybe something happened, sweetheart."

Austin thought it over, not bothering to worry about it. Ally was her own person, he would just call in to check on her later.

Throughout lunch, Austin conversed with his family about graduation and his plans for the fall. With Austin moving three hours away and having to do summer training towards the end of July, they had to work fast on moving him.

"Are you excited," Mimi questioned, grabbing his plate from him. Austin shrugged while nodding. "Yeah, I am. It's a tad bit scary, and I'm not crazy about leaving, but I'm ready for something new." Austin informed, and Mimi gripped his shoulders excitedly.

"Well, I'm gonna go wash up. I haven't showered since yesterday morning," Austin admitted, and his little sister yelled 'ew' from her chair. Austin laughed, kissing his mother and sister on their cheeks before bounding up the stairs.

Throwing his door open, he walked into the bathroom to start a shower before walking out to spot his phone on his bedside. Grabbing it, he had a couple of social media notifications and text messages from Shane and Dez.

Ignoring them, he hit Ally's contact, putting the device up to his ear. However, it went straight to voicemail. Austin pulled it away, staring at the device in question. Shooting her a text, Austin made his way to shower and get ready for the day.

It was not until around five that evening that Austin began to really worry about the lack of show from his girlfriend. Rolling over, he tried ringing her again, only to get the same voicemail as before.

Austin stared at the ceiling, contemplating his next move before grabbing his keys.

"Where are you going, honey?" Mimi interrogated as Austin grabbed his shoes from beside the front door.

"I'm going over to Ally's. She hasn't answered me all day, and I'm beginning to worry a little bit." Austin admitted, and Mimi looked concerned. "Alright, be careful."

Austin nodded, biding his mother goodbye before heading towards Ally's. Upon arriving at hers, he noticed the garage doors down, indicating that both cars were there. Turning his truck off, Austin took the spare key from above the door, and let himself in the house. Walking into the threshold, Austin's sole intention was on finding his missing girlfriend.

That was until he saw Mr. Dawson staring at something on the kitchen counter.

"Hi, Mr. Dawson. I didn't expect you back for another two weeks." Austin greeted, but he remained silent. "Mr. Dawson? Have you seen Ally?" Austin quizzed carefully, and Lester sighed, looking up at the young man in front of him, holding up a piece of paper.

Austin felt a bit of anxiety coil in his stomach. "What's that?"

Lester sighed, clearing his throat. He looked like a kicked puppy.

"Ally, um, Ally." Lester let out a jumble of words that Austin could not put together. Lester threw the piece of paper down in front of Austin. Austin glimpsed at his girlfriend's father before picking it up.

 _Hey, Dad._

 _I am taking a trip to stay with mom this summer. Don't worry, I'm not leaving for good, but I won't be back until the end of July. It was an offer that mom gave me for the college she works for, I'm sorry that this was such last minute._

 _I'll see you at the end of the summer._

 _I love you._

 _~Ally_

Austin found himself gripping the edges of the paper harshly. She had left too God knows where without telling him. Was this some kind of sick joke? This could not be Ally.

"She-she left?" Austin murmured, and Lester placed his head in his hands.

"I didn't even know her mother and she were on speaking terms." Lester griped, and Austin swallowed, remembering when she told him about her explanation. While Austin wanted to spill the reasoning behind them rekindling, he kept his word, no matter how angry he was with her.

Austin pursed his lips, dropping the letter on the bar before trudging upstairs and into her bedroom. When walking in, it was left untouched. Ally's bed had not been slept in, the pictures were even, and the lights were off. Her desk was tidy, her curtains were pulled, her doors were closed, and everything was freshly cleaned. Just like it always was whenever she left.

 _I love coming home to my room completely clean, tidy, and organized. Makes me feel like I have my life together whenever I get back from a trip._

It was a weird habit of hers, but Austin never questioned it, just like he never questioned her. He chuckled bitterly.

Opening her closet, he saw multiple items of clothing gone. Walking into her bathroom, her toiletries were gone, and he took note of the disappearance of her laptop. She had really left.

Austin transferred into a state of shock and outrage, standing in the middle of a room. A room filled with everything that reminded him of Ally. How in the hell could it not?

Austin groaned, sitting on her bed, gripping his blonde strands coarsely. Looking up, he instantly spotted a rectangular frame that held multiple pictures of them throughout the course of their relationship. Majority of them from football games, while they were at the beach, in New York, a couple of date nights, and the most recent one, them kissing fondly at his graduation. She must have added it in before she left, last night.

Austin stared at each and every one of them for what felt like hours. Each of them, neither of them held anything but a smile. Their eyes filled with love and adoration, no matter what either of them was going through at the time.

Anyone could see, they were crazy in love. They were young and in love, crazy kids with no mindset of the future other than each other, and something about that was dangerous.

Because right now, for Austin Moon, this changed everything.

/

Austin waited in a corner booth of a tiny, café for Trish, Shane, and Dez.

After finding that Ally left with no explanation, Austin had been continuously trying to call or reach her. When it finally occurred to Austin that she did not want to be reached, he stopped trying, not after filling up her voicemail.

The bell attached to the door dinged, and Austin turned his attention to his friends walking in the entrance. Motioning them over, he moved over to offer Trish a seat.

"Hey man, what's going on?" Dez took a seat in front of Austin as Shane slide in beside him.

Austin took an agitated breath. "Ally's gone."

Each of their eyes widened, and Trish panicked. "What? What do you mean she's gone'?

Austin laid her letter on the table in front of them, and they each took turns looking at it.

"Where did she go," Dez questioned slowly, placing the sheet back down. Austin shrugged. "Don't know, she left my place around two last night, then let to go stay with her mother."

"Where is her mother?" Shane leaned forward, and Austin breathed. "I don't know, Ally told me, but I can't remember. Somewhere up north towards New York, she works at a college that Ally did not tell me the name of."

"Maybe she is doing enrollment for the summer, visiting her mother," Trish exclaimed, defending her best friend for leaving without a trace. The three boys stared at her.

"Trish, if she were really doing that, then why won't she answer my calls," Austin snapped, and Trish glared. "I don't know, Austin. Ally is her own person, she doesn't need our permission to make her own decisions." Trish argued, and Austin lets a deep groan fall from his throat.

"Trish, Ally does not want to be found. If it were simply a visit and enrollment classes, I wouldn't have a problem with it. She knows that. She up and left for no reason, she is just like her mother."

Trish slammed her hand down on the table. The entirety of the café glanced over at the booth of teenagers. "Ally is nothing like her mother, and even if she was, her mother did nothing wrong. Ally told you the story, Penny did it for her daughter's well-being! You are just being an ass! If Ally left out of the blue, then there has to be a good reason."

"I'm not being an ass! Ally is the one that left with no warning! I don't give a damn if she is her own person or if she had a good reason, Ally left without telling you, me, or us. Hell, she left a note for her father, but that was it. How are you not angry?" Austin spat, and Trish pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Because I'm worried Austin, and you should be too. I know you are angry, but you love Ally. Aren't you worried? Isn't there any part of you that is doubting her reasoning for leaving? You said it yourself forever ago; Ally is nothing like her mother, she could not just leave knowing her family and friends love her as much as they do, and she doesn't have a selfish bone in her body. There has to be a different reason." Trish pleaded with Austin. The boyfriend and the best friend stared each other down, both stubborn as mules until Austin sighed.

"I am worried, I'm worried out of my mind, and that's why I'm angry," Austin muttered, placing his head down on the table. Trish reached out to rub his back in comfort.

"She was doing well, I don't understand," Austin whispered, and Shane perked up.

"Something happened, with Ally."

Each of them shot their attention to Shane, waiting for his explanation. He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "She told me not to tell you," Shane admitted, looking at Austin, and Austin glared.

"I couldn't care less, tell me."

Shane exhaled. "Last night, Ally gave me a ride to yours'. I was waiting in the car for what felt like forever before I decided to go look for Al, she said she was only running to the restroom. When I found her, she was sitting against the wall, in the dark outside the gym. She was shaking, crying, and hyperventilating, she looked terrified. I brought her to the car, and on the way to yours', she said she had a panic attack and not to tell you, that you would worry. She said it was nothing worry about."

Austin tensed at the information. She told him the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago.

"I think she gets those often and doesn't tell anyone," Dez spoke, and Austin shrugged. "I don't know, she has had a couple of big ones, like the one in the parking lot, and she'll get mini ones every now and then, but that isn't something she would run away from."

"Maybe she isn't running from anything," Shane suggested, and Trish furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What do you mean?"

Shane shrugged. "Think about it. Ally hasn't had the easiest year, and it is summer, her mother offered her a visit. She didn't want to tell anyone and ran away from here. Why would Ally want to stay in a place that brings her nothing but struggles."

"Um, because her family, friends, and boyfriend are here," Dez corrected, and Shane shot him a glare.

"If that were the case, fine, but why not tell me? Or anyone? Hell, right about now, I just want her to answer a phone call." Austin groaned.

"We won't get an answer anytime soon, let's just give her, her space. She is supposed to be coming back at the end of July. We can question her all we want then," Trish reminded, and everyone one of them sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so, but if any of you hear from her," Austin trailed, and they all gave him a gentle smile. "We will let you know, Aus," Trish informed. Shane nodded, as did Dez.

/

Austin threw his keys down on his desk, them clinging loudly, however; Austin could not seem to care. His mother and father were asleep while his little sister was at a friend's, so the entire house was quiet. Something that Austin could not stand.

Sitting his belongings besides his keys, he laid on his bed, thinking of Ally. His feelings were everywhere; remorse, fear, concern, and mostly, anger. He was angry at her. Angry that she left with no goodbye after reassuring her months ago that she would be nothing like her mother, ever. Angry that she was making him feel like this, worry consuming him entirely, not leaving him energy to think of much else.

This was the most selfish thing she had ever done, and out of everything, Austin found himself shocked. Shocked that his Ally, the person he was sure was the love of his life, had left with no intentions of reaching out to him.

He thought back to the conversation with his teacher forever ago when Leo had passed. Austin recalled telling his teacher that he was scared of losing her, and while he meant that in a different way back then, he had lost her. In a way, he did not think was possible.

"Damn it."

Austin swallowed his emotions, running his hands over his face. Sitting up, he walked over to his closet to grab a pair of shorts and a tee. Working out would be the best thing for him to blow off some steam.

Changing, he was about to grab his keys when his phone rang. While he went to ignore it, the picture of Ally smiling brightly as the caller ID caught the corner of his eye. Reacting quickly, he grabbed it before answering.

"Hello, Ally?" He questioned urgently, and the person sighed over the phone. "Austin, it's Penny."

Austin stood straighter, his lips pursing. "Where is Ally?"

"She is with me," Penny answered vaguely, and Austin forced himself from snapping. "Can I speak to her?" Austin asked sharply.

"She isn't up for talking," Penny admitted softly, and Austin took that she was doing this behind Ally's back. "Penny, I'm losing my patience's."

"I know, and I understand that. I don't know what's going on, but I wanted to call and tell you she was safe. I saw where you had been calling."

While it was not what Austin wanted, he would take knowing that she was safe. Sighing, he bit his lip. "Penny," Austin trailed, his voice thick with emotion. "I need to know what's going on, I need to talk to her."

Penny sighed sadly. "Honey, I wish I could get her to talk, but she is barely talking to me. I'll try and keep you updated, okay? I'm sorry this is happening to you two."

Austin scoffed. "She is the one who did it."

"Austin..."

Austin shook his head, hanging up on his girlfriend's mother before heading out the door and to the gym.

/

Ally tossed and turned in her bed, the sounds of the city keeping her awake. Things were so different here.

She felt out of place, uncomfortable, and unsafe. As much as she loved her mother, she was in a city that she knew nothing about with her father far away from her. Austin was no long a ten-minute drive away, and Trish could not just come over in the middle of the night.

Taking a deep breath, Ally stood from the bed. Tightening her cardigan, she stared out the window down at the city of Manhattan.

Her mother lived in a decent apartment complex in the heart of the city. Her two-bedroomed apartment was tiny in Ally's opinion, but according to her mother, it was amazing to have something like this in the city. She even had her own washer and dryer, something that Penny had always been giddy about.

Everything was rustic, showing the building's age, but it was gorgeous nonetheless with a beautiful view. That was something Ally would not tire of.

Walking into the miniature kitchen, Ally reached to grab a mug before brewing coffee. Glancing at the clock hung on the brick wall, Ally's eyes widened at the time. It was a little past three in the morning. Walking over to the bay window that descended from the kitchen into the living room, Ally sat on it, tucking her feet beneath her as the hard-wooded floor chilled the bottom of her feet. She needed to invest in some slippers.

Ally looked around her mother's apartment. It was neat, and her mother had fairy lights strung around the top of the bricks walls in the living area, reminding her of a teenager. High shelves held books, knick-knacks, and pictures. Ally smiled when spotting a framed picture of herself as a child. There was even one when Ally was a little over three, kissing her mother's cheek.

While it was small, it had character, and it made her grin. She could see herself staying here for the summer, receiving the true city experience.

Yet, no matter how much she loved the city, she missed Austin. She missed her father. She missed Trish, Shane, and Dez. She missed her life back in Miami.

Grabbing her coffee, she sat at the bar, going through her cell. She had multiple missed calls and texts, and it hurt her going through them. Some were from Dez, Shane, and Trish, some were from her father, but a majority of them were from Austin.

Clicking his contact, she read some of the messages he had sent her.

 _Morning gorgeous, how come you left last night? I missed you this morning ;)_

 _Answer me, missy._

 _Gorgeous, I'm getting kind of worried. Where are you?_

 _I'm coming to your house._

 _Ally. Seriously, what the hell is going on? You left. Where in the hell did you go?_

 _What the hell, is this a joke?_

 _Ally, please answer me._

 _Baby, please, tell me what's going on._

 _Damn it, Ally._

Ally breathed in a breath of anticipation. He was angry. She could not blame him, who could? Placing her elbows on the bar, she gripped harshly at the strands of her locks. Tears slowly started to make her way down her face.

Suddenly, her phone dinged, indicating another notification. Sighing, she looked up. It was another text from Austin. Opening it, she made sure her phone would not show that she had seen it.

 _Ally, I'm worried out of my mind. I miss you. Please baby, just tell me what's going on. I love you, gorgeous._

Ally cupped a hand over her mouth to hide the sudden sobs at reading the message. She wanted, in that moment, to pick up the phone and call him, tell him that she loved him too and that she missed him terribly.

But; then he would ask what was really going on. Austin knew her too well. He could always tell when she was lying, and she would tell him. All he had to do was pester her, and she would spill. She could not lie to him.

Penny walked around the corner, immediately spotting her daughter crying.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" Penny cooed, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Ally let out a series of hiccups. "I want Austin," she cried, gripping her mother's hand. Penny petted her daughter's head.

"I'm scared." Ally whimpered.

She was. She was scared out of her mind, blindly protecting the people she loved, and the only person she wanted was hundreds of miles away.

Missing Austin in this state was like missing Leo. Ally was not sure if she would have ever found something familiar to that feeling, but she had.

"Well baby, call him," Penny suggested, and Ally shook her head.

"I can't, you don't understand." Ally shook her head quickly. "I can't, I can't."

Penny sighed. "Why not, Ally? What the hell is going on?"

Ally stood abruptly. "Nothing! Alright, I'm not calling Austin back. I'm not calling Trish, my father, or anyone. I'm staying here for the summer, and I'm doing credit for my future. That is all."

"Then, Allyson, if that is all you are doing, then you should be able to call Austin."

Ally shook her head. Penny suddenly picked up the phone, clicking Austin's number before throwing Ally her phone and walking out. "Do it, Allyson."

Ally panicked, tossing around her phone as if it were a hot potato. Then it stopped ring.

"Ally?"

Ally froze at the sound of his voice. She closed her eyes, putting the device up to her ear, slowly breathing into the speaker.

"Baby? Are you there?" His voice was soothing as if he weren't angry at her.

"I love you."

That was Ally's simple reply, and she heard Austin take a quick breath. "I love you too," he breathed immediately, and Ally felt those reoccurring tears.

"I'm scared." Ally broke into the phone.

"Gorgeous, tell me what's going on? I'm here, you know that. What are you scared of?" Austin interrogated softly, and Ally shook her head.

"I have to spend the summer here, Austin. I think it's best if we don't contact each other."

"No, wait, Ally!" Austin pleaded, and Ally shook her head.

"Bye Austin."

With that, she ended the call.

* * *

 **Holy, sh*t. Don't kill me. :))**

 **I love you guys, hope you enjoyed!**

 **God Bless**

 **~Meg**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi! I have a new chapter for you, guys! I know you probably hate me, but it's what had to happen. I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Not Edited.**

* * *

 _Previously…_

" _I have to spend the summer here, Austin. I think it's best if we don't contact each other."_

" _No, wait, Ally!" Austin pleaded, and Ally shook her head._

" _Bye Austin."_

 _With that, she ended the call._

/

"Come on, Moon! Hustle, hustle. If you wanna start on my team anytime soon, you gotta show me what you got!"

Austin panted, pushing through the block that his teammates were forming around him. The sound of his new coach yelling in the background pushed him forward, eventually maneuvering himself around the block.

"There ya go!"

Austin crossed the goal line, throwing the ball down on the ground as his teammates cheered. "Damn, you are good." Baker patted his shoulder pads as they walked to the sidelines. Austin nodded in thanks, taking a swig of water.

"I know right. Moon has skills and freshly graduated too, teams are gonna fight for your ass." Foster encouraged, and Austin chuckled. "Thanks, guys."

"Alright boys, huddle up!"

The team formed a circle around the couch, waiting to be dismissed. "You boys played good today. Practice again tomorrow and then you get two weeks off, use those weeks wisely. Remember, this is college football, you don't get to slack. I expect you on my field tomorrow, bright and early. Enjoy the rest of your day. Break."

The team jogged towards the locker rooms, and Austin grabbed a towel to dry his sweaty head of hair. Pulling off his practice jersey and pads, he quickly went to shower. After showering and grabbing his belongings, Austin made his way out of the stadium.

His phone rang.

"Yo, Moon, you still meeting us for lunch?" Shane exclaimed loudly on the phone, laughing obnoxiously at something Dez must have said. Austin chuckled. "Yeah, I'm on my way over, go ahead and grab us a seat," Austin informed, waving a cab before sliding in.

Austin hung up the phone, greeting the cab driver before telling him the place of destination. Relaxing into the seat, Austin sighed, staring out the window of the cab at the busy streets of Tallahassee, Florida.

He had officially moved away from home to go play for one of the best college football teams in the state of Florida. The only problem was that it was the Florida State Seminoles, seven hours away from his hometown.

However; the summer was coming to an end. The month of August began the day after tomorrow, and after the final practice, Austin was heading back down to Miami for two weeks before his college's classes officially started.

The cab came to a stop, and Austin paid the cab driver before removing himself from the vehicle. Austin spotted 'Slick Ricks', and made his way towards the extremely tiny café. Spotting his two best friends, he smiled brightly, not having seen either of them in nearly a month.

"Oh, look there's our boy!" Dez jumped up, gripping his best friend in a hug, patting his back before passing him to Shane.

"It's good to see you guys," Austin grinned, high-fiving them. A waitress came over with menus, and the three boys settled down.

"So, how's playing football for the Seminoles," Shane questioned, taking a sip of his water.

"Oh, dude, it's like a dream come true. It's amazing, and even though I'm a freshman, I can tell the coach is already looking at me." Dez fist bumped him. "Dude, congrats!"

"How about you two, playing for the Gators, that's a hell of a team too," Austin questioned, and Shane and Dez shrugged. "It's amazing, but it's weird. Playing with each other, but not having the Austin Moon with us. Ya know," Shane joked, but the three suddenly were thrown back into the memories of high school.

Each of them secretly reached up to grab the chains hanging from their neck, the ones given to them by Ally.

Austin cleared his throat. "So, are you two going home for the next two weeks?"

Shane and Dez both nodded. "Yep, decided to see the family one good time before we aren't able to see them again until Thanksgiving. My mom wanted me home as soon as possible, but I told her that Dez and I were coming up to see you. Possibly asking if you wanted to ride down with us?"

Austin nodded in agreement. "Sure! Sounds good, I get out of practice tomorrow at twelve."

"It's been weird. Being away from home since the middle of June. I have forgotten what my mother's voice has sounded like." Dez admitted, and Austin chuckled. "Wish that were possible, mom calls me every other night just about."

The three laughed at Mimi antics until suddenly they became abnormally quiet.

"So," Shane cleared his throat once again. "Have you heard from, Al?"

Austin tensed at the mention of her. His girlfriend, or whatever in the hell she was.

Austin pursed his lips, looking out the window. "No. I haven't. She told me not to contact her. I haven't."

Dez sighed, "what are you gonna do if she is back home?"

Austin furrowed his eyebrows before shrugging. "I don't know. Haven't thought about it."

That was a lie, he had thought about it. Multiple times, but he did not have an answer, simply because he was not sure how it would play out. If he was angry when she first left, he was definitely angry after she told him not to contact her, furious even.

"Are you two even together?" Shane asked carefully, and Austin glanced around the café.

"I doubt it. I mean, you usually would keep in touch with your boyfriend, not ignore them for two months straight. I don't even know what she has been up too, she hasn't contacted her father. She also has not been active on social media, so."

The tension became thick suddenly, and each of them did not say a word for a while.

"Well, I have news. Which probably isn't the best news for this situation, but, I still would like to tell you guys," Dez announced, and his two friends nodded for him to continue. "Trish and I are together."

Both Shane and Austin's eyes widened. "Dude, hell yeah!" Shane punched his arm in congratulations. Austin stayed still. He had not spoken to Trish since before leaving. However, he snapped out of it.

"Dez, that's great. Trish is a great girl. How are you two gonna handle long distance?" Austin questioned, and Dez shrugged with a small smile.

"We were skeptical at first, which is why it took so long for us to get together, but we think it'll be good for us. I'll be down every break, and she'll drive up on some long weekends. We trust each other, so, I think it'll work."

Austin smiled. "Well, congrats bud."

The rest of lunch carried on as normal, or as normal for Austin as it could be. It was the first time he had been asked about Ally in a month, and it shocked him. He was doing good, busying himself to keep his mind off of her. But now, he was being questioned and his best friend was dating her best friend.

/

"Oh, my baby boy is home!"

Austin laughed as he stepped out of the car. He could hear his mother from inside.

It was not long before she was rushing out of the house. His father and Emmy followed subtly behind, not nearly as excited to get to him as his mother.

Austin caught his mother as she threw herself at him, kissing his cheeks. "I'm so glad you are finally home!" Mimi exclaimed, tightening her hold on her son. Austin chuckled cheerfully, picking his mother up from the ground before spinning her.

"It's nice to see you too, momma." Austin greeted, setting her down before kissing her head. Austin grabbed his sister, hoisting her in the air as she giggled. "Aussy, you are home!"

Austin laughed, kissing her as his mother did him before reaching to hug his father.

"It's good to see ya, son. I'm glad you are home."

Austin smiled, nodding at his father before grabbing his bags.

As he walked up to his room, it was exactly like he had left it. Untouched and tidy, all the while cleansed of current everyday items, which were all moved when he moved to Tallahassee. Placing his suitcase by the door, he made his way downstairs to reconnect with his family after a month of being gone.

His mother was cooking, and his stomach growled loudly at the sound. After a seven-hour drive, he was starving, and his mother cooking a home cooked meal was exactly what he needed.

"So, I thought you were riding here with Shane and Dez?" His father questioned, and Austin nodded, taking a seat at the table. "I did, I dropped them off at their place before coming over here, we took my truck."

They all nodded, and Mimi sat the food down on the table.

"So, how have things been?" Mike asked, and Austin wiped his mouth before answering. "Things have been good, football is great. Practices are long, but coach really thinks I have something."

Mike looked impressed with his son's answer, and Mimi clapped excitedly. Austin laughed at his mother.

Dinner carried on as per usual. He missed his family, and he did not realize how much until he was back with them. Catching up on anything and everything, and it felt as if he had never left. He missed it here, so much that he did not realize he was homesick.

"Austin, how are things with Ally?" Mimi questioned, and Austin breathed sharply. He had told his family that Ally had left to go stay with her mother for the summer, but he did not tell them what was really happening.

"Um, things are good." Austin lied. His family loved Ally as if she were one of their own, and them not being on speaking terms would make them question everything. He did not want questions he did not have the answers too.

"That's good, I miss that girl," Mimi concluded, and Austin forced a smile.

"Well, mom, dinner was good, but I am exhausted. I should grab some sleep, see you in the morning." Austin bid a goodbye before heading upstairs to his bedroom.

Grabbing a shower, Austin did a nightly routine before crawling into his bed, sighing at the familiar feeling. Rolling over to get comfortable, he closed his eyes before opening them. He instantly regretted it.

Sitting on his bed stand was a picture he left, of Ally and himself. He stared at it. Something about pictures of them. Austin and Ally barely had any pictures where they were smiling directly at the camera, the majority of the time they were off guard, and in every single one, they were happy. Every single picture they had, had captured their happiness; their eyes filled with adoration, their smile so wide it hurt their jaws, and the undeniable attraction they held for each other.

It was them during Christmas. Austin was dipping her, leaning down to kiss her until she started giggling, him eventually following as their foreheads rested against each other. The tree glistened in the background. That was the night that they…

Austin shook his head, reaching to slam the frame down before rolling back over on his back.

He missed her. He missed her like crazy.

/

Austin grabbed his smoothie from the food court, grabbing a straw before weaseling his way through the crowd. Sipping his smoothie, he made his way to the nearest sports store, intending to grab a new mouth guard.

"Long time no see."

Austin rolled his eyes, turning around with daggers.

"Nice to see ya, Moon. Been a while, how you been?"

"Harris. I would say the same, but I can't." Austin replied hostile, and Dallas chuckled. "Same old, Moon. Really, how are you?" Dallas patted him on the shoulder, and Austin refrained from rolling his eyes again.

"Good, how about you?"

"I'm good, good. I've been here, interning for my father's law firm." Dallas bragged, and Austin went to argue how he had not even been through law school, but with the power Mr. Harris held, Austin did not doubt it. That man ran Florida, all from right here in Miami.

"Cool, cool," Austin replied, not in the mood to listen to his ego.

"Where's that girlfriend of yours, have not seen her in a while. I haven't really seen anyone from high school." Dallas questioned, looking at a shirt, and Austin sighed. "She's good. Staying with her mother."

He was not giving Dallas any sort of satisfaction.

"I hear you are playing for the Seminoles. Best college team in Florida, congrats."

While Austin wanted to be surprised, he was not. Dallas was being sarcastic.

"Listening Dallas, as much as I would like to catch up, I have plans of gouging my eyeballs out. I'll see you later," Austin smirked, turning his back to him while walking out of the store, forgetting about the mouth guard. He could get one later.

"Whatever, Moon!"

Austin shook his head. Making his way through the mall, he bumped into the last person he ever thought he would.

"Austin! Hi, how are you?"

The petite girl pulled him down for a hug, and he returned it awkwardly.

"Trish? Hi, I haven't seen you in forever," Austin spoke, and Trish chuckled. "Yeah, I know. How have you been?"

Austin shook his head. "I've been well? You?"

She shook her head. "I've been great. I'm hating that school is starting back tomorrow. You guys are so lucky, y'all don't start college for another two weeks."

Austin chuckled before shrugging. "Yep, living the life."

They sat in an odd silence for a minute before Trish nudged him playfully. "So…have you heard from Ally?"

She suddenly became serious. Austin sighed. As much as he did not want to talk about it, he was actually hoping Trish would have some answer on the girl he loved.

"No, have you?" He asked, praying that he did not seem too hopeful.

Trish's smile fell, and she frowned before nodding slowly. "I thought you would have heard from her by now."

Austin felt his chest clench. She was back.

"She's back?"

Trish nodded. "She got back last night. I haven't seen her yet, her father texted to tell me. I don't really know what to say to her, to be honest."

Austin took in a deep breath before running a hand through his hair. "Trish, I don't know what to do. Should I go see her? Should I wait? God." He stressed and Trish sent him a look of sympathy.

"Aus, you won't ever get an answer until you go to her. Do you still love her?"

Austin sighed. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Trish smiled. "Then let her have it."

/

When Austin pulled up at the Dawson household, no one was home. The sickening feeling in his stomach kept increasing, and he wanted so badly to turn around. The more he stared at the house, the more he wanted too, so he did.

Since no one was home, he parked a little down the block, where Ally could not see his truck. If she was avoiding him, he did not want her seeing his vehicle and turning around. Walking back towards the house, he felt above the door for a key, and it was there.

Walking in, it smelled the same, old suits and fresh rain. It was an odd combination, but it worked well together. The furniture hadn't moved, and all the lights were off. Heading up to Ally's room, the same steps creaked and her door still squeaked when opening.

Her room had not changed a bit, but her suitcase laid on her bed. Her laptop was set nicely on her desk beside her school books. The faint scent of a candle being burned filled the room.

She was really back.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, he waited patiently. He did not have to wait long.

The sound of the door shutting downstairs made Austin jumped. The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. He did not know how to react. He was angry, but he still loved her. Just like when she first left, his feelings were everywhere.

The sound of her steps sounded as she came up the stairs. Opening her door, she flicked the lights on before looking up, spotting Austin.

She froze. As did he.

His hazel eyes racked over her. She had changed noticeably.

Her hair, which used to be down to the mid of her back, was now freshly cut and fell to her beneath her shoulders in muddled waves. Her usually ivory colored skin was now sun-kissed from the summer sun, and she styled a short, black romper, it contrasting against her darkened skin beautifully.

She seemed thinner, almost as if she had lost weight. She did not look unhealthy, but it was enough to worry Austin, although he did not say that out a loud.

She slid her sunglasses to sit on top of her head, revealing her beautiful, chocolate colored eyes before raising her eyebrows at Austin. "Austin." Her voice was hoarse, but Austin's heart skipped a beat. He had not heard it in months.

He realized just how much he missed her as she stood in front of him.

She appeared unmoving, not daring to move a muscle, but only her eyes.

He had changed. His hair was longer and lighter, his skin was darker and his body was toner. He gained muscle over the summer, more than likely from football, and it was noticeable.

"Ally."

He acknowledged her. Ally closed her eyes at the sound. God, she missed that. She missed him. But could she do this?

Breathing, she opened her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

It was a simple statement, a statement that sparked the up-raging anger in him. Standing, he began to pace. "Really? That's all you can say? What the hell do you think I'm here, Ally?" Austin growled, and Ally jumped, closing the door before walking slowly into the room.

Taking a deep breath, Ally looked up at Austin. Sitting on her bed where Austin once was, she looked down at her fingers resting in her lap.

"Go ahead, Austin. Yell at me, scream at me. I deserve it."

Austin chuckled bitterly. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to come in here acting like that, acting innocent. How could you do that to me, Ally!" He yelled, and Ally could not bear to look at him.

"I'm not acting innocent, Austin. I know how upset you are with me."

"No! No, you don't! You have no idea. I woke up, the morning after my graduation, to find my girlfriend gone. Not just gone, she fucking flew out of the damn state. I had no idea where you were, no idea if you were safe, and no idea if I would ever see you again. You would not have told me if I would not have come to look for you! Then, to top it all off, when I finally get some sort of contact from you, you told me not to contact you."

His words flew with no hesitation. Ally closed her eyes, her eyelids shaking in order to hold back tears.

"God, Ally." He groaned, pulling at his hair. "How could you do that to me! I don't understand. I can't believe you. If I didn't love you so damn much, I would never want to see you again."

Ally let out a sharp breath. That hurt.

"Please, explain to me. Because, I need to know."

He had stopped yelling, but looked at her, holding no source of backing down.

Ally glanced down at her lap, shaking her head. "Austin, I-I can't."

Looking back up, Austin was glaring at her with such anger, she was scared it would turn to hatred.

"You are telling me that you can't look at me and say you were doing college work while living with your mother?" He growled harshly, pointing a finger at her, and Ally bit her lip.

"No. Because I can't lie to you, and that's not what happened."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Austin gritted, and Ally licked her lips. Standing up, she walked towards Austin. No matter how angry or how much he was scaring the shit out of her, he would not hurt her. Not physically anyways.

"I can't lie to you, Austin. I was in New York, with my mother, doing dual enrollment classes, but if that were just the case, I would have told you. I didn't because I wanted to leave without telling you, I needed to leave. And, I'm not telling you why."

She spoke firmly, never breaking eye contact. However; she knew she was was breaking inside. She was nowhere near the strong girl she was back in May. She knew coming back would not be the same.

Austin would be in college, and she knew he would be angry. She knew he would do this, demand what happened. She knew he would yell and scream. However; this was the icing on the top of the cake.

"You aren't going to tell me why you left? Really?"

They were close. So close that she wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to pull her into his arms. It was not going to happen.

"No." Her response was firm, unmoving.

Emotions she could not pinpoint flashed through Austin's eyes.

"We're done."

* * *

 **I love you...hehe.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, the next chapter will be up so soon! I promise. :)**

 **God Bless.**

 **~Meg**


	26. Chapter 26

" _You aren't going to tell me why you left? Really?"_

 _They were close. So close that she wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to pull her into his arms. It was not going to happen._

" _No." Her response was firm, unmoving._

 _Emotions she could not pinpoint flashed through Austin's eyes._

" _We're done."_

/

Ally forced herself not to react, simply staring at him before nodding in understanding.

"Okay."

Austin stared, his mouth and eyes wide in disbelief. "How…" Austin trailed, not being able to believe that was about to throw it all away. For the first time, Ally was unreadable to Austin. He did not recognize her.

She refused to let her true emotions show.

However; when hearing those words, her stomach dropped and she gripped her fingers together to keep them from shaking.

Suddenly, his disbelief turned to anger. He turned away from her, slamming the doors on his way out.

When hearing the front door close, she finally let her sadness show. Wrapping her arms around her abdomen, Ally sunk to the ground against her bed. The tears came quickly.

Dallas Harris had finally done it.

He ruined her relationship.

/

It was the first day of school. Her senior year. Austin was supposed to be with her on this day.

Grabbing her schedule and locker number, she made her way down the stairs to the first floor. And, while nothing had changed, Ally felt different.

She had just endured the worst summer of her life, and now, she had to face everything like nothing had happened.

"Ally?"

Jumping, Ally turned around. Behind her stood Trish. Ally looked over her childhood best friend, not being able to read her.

"Hey, T." Ally whispered with a sigh and an unconvincing smile. Trish's eyes held sympathy. She had only heard Ally was back, but she had not seen her.

Reaching forward, Trish wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders. Ally hiccupped in shock, burying her head in her curls. "Shouldn't you be mad at me?" Ally spoke softly into her neck.

Trish chuckled. "Oh, I'm furious." She paused. "But, I've already lost one best friend, and I don't plan on losing you anytime soon."

Ally tensed, allowing the tears, that she had been keeping at bay all morning, to fall. Trish rubbed her back soothingly. "Shh, Al. It'll all be okay."

"Austin and I broke up." Ally stated, and Trish stilled. "You broke up?" Trish was astonished. Ally nodded and pulled away while wiping her tears.

"He was angry, Trish. Beyond angry, but, it was my fault." Ally claimed, running her fingers through her hair. "I was the one who pushed him to do it."

"Okay, okay. Come on, we are seniors. We only have four periods, then we can go back to yours and talk about this." Trish rubbed her shoulders, hoping to calm her frazzled friend, and Ally took a breath. "Okay. I can do this."

/

While she made it through the morning, Ally was snappy and impatience. Her nerves were shot, and everything made her uncomfortable or angry. Even the simple chitchat of friends reuniting made her glare at them.

However; she let Trish pull her into her house.

They walked into the kitchen, and Ally sat at the island while Trish grabbed them something to drink from the fridge. "Where's Mr. D?" Trish questioned, sliding a can of soda her way. Ally ran her finger along the rim of it.

"He is on another business trip. He hasn't really spoken to me since I've gotten back." Ally admitted softly, and Trish furrowed her eyebrows.

"Ally, it's all going to be okay. You know that, right?"

Ally scoffed, looking up at the ceiling as if she were trying to stop the relentless tears from flowing. She was glad she wore waterproof mascara today.

"I screwed up everything. My father isn't speaking to me, I lost Austin, I passed Shane and Dez in the diner yesterday, but they did not bother to bat an eyelash. The only one speaking to me is you," Ally threw her hands up, and Trish frowned with a sigh.

"Al, why did you do it? Why did you leave without telling anyone?" Trish put out the questions that she had been wondering since the beginning of the summer.

Ally sighed, shaking her fingers through her voluminous curls.

"I-I," Ally tried but failed. She was panicking. "I need to get away from here. I needed to go somewhere completely new with no strings attaching me here, and I know that sounds beyond selfish. It's just, my mother offered me that enrollment in New York, I took it without a second thought when things got tough."

"But, Ally, what got tough? You were doing good! Nothing had happened in months, I saw you hours before, happily cheering and kissing your boyfriend at his graduation. What happened? Because I know you aren't telling me the full story." Trish argued, and Ally stilled. She had not meant to let that last part slip.

"Austin was leaving. Austin is going to college seven hours away, as well as Shane and Dez with them being four hours away. It was the upcoming of our senior year without our best friend that we had only lost three months prior. I-I panicked, everything was changing, and I did not know how to cope." Ally ranted, and none of it was a lie.

Ally had one reason for leaving the way she did in May. Dallas Harris was threatening the people she loved, and with the inability to lie to them, especially Austin, she ran. However; with being away from a place that caused her such pain, she found all sorts of reasons, without lying, to prolong telling them the real reason.

Well, except Austin. Austin was always an exception.

"Ally, despite what you may think, I get it. I understand why you did some of the things you did, I just, I wish you would have told someone. If not Austin, then at least me."

Ally sent her an apologetic look. "Trish, I did not understand the entire reason myself until just now."

Trish sighed with a nod. "Okay, I'm still a little mad at you, but you need me. So, I'm just gonna say," Trish paused and Ally became worried. "Bitch, if you leave again without warning, I will come after you and you will not live to see the place you are going. Understand?"

Ally's eyes went wide and she nodded frantically.

"Good, now, tell me what happened with Austin."

Ally went to explain yesterday evening to her, leaving out some of the details. Trish paid close attention to everything she was saying, not batting an eyelash on the most dramatic parts.

Trish nodded, throwing in her impute every once in a while, and grabbing Ally's hand when things got tough to explain.

"I've only been gone two months, but it was like he was a completely different person. Like I did not know him anymore. He changed, not only physically, but mentally. I wasn't staring at a teenaged Austin, I was staring a grown adult with a future agenda. He's always been mature, but God, something about this time. It's scary, knowing that he has his life on the right track, and there is a possible chance I won't be in it." Ally admitted, and Trish immediately disagreed.

"No, Ally. Austin still loves you, don't give up on him."

Ally laughed with no humor. "Trish, I pushed him away. Austin wants nothing to do with me." She let out another scoff. "What's so funny is that our one year anniversary was coming up."

"Ally, Austin is the one person in your life that is made for you. I've never seen two people connect so beautifully together like I have the two of you, even my parents, and they've been married twenty years." Trish pushed, gripping Ally's hands as she moved to get up.

"Austin gets you like nobody else, and vice versa. Austin is an amazing guy, Ally. You've had a shit year, I understand that, but nobody makes you happier than Austin. You know that, and I know that."

Ally still did not look convinced, and Trish sighed in desperation.

"Ally, there is no doubt in my mind that Austin and you love each other more than anything on this earth. You two are so crazy in love, and honestly, it is one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever seen. Please, don't give up, not on each other, please."

Ally's eyes burned once again.

"I want too, but…it's for the best. For the both of us."

/

Austin threw various hits at the punching bag in front of him. Beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and neck. His breathing was uneven with every movement he made.

Every bout of irritation that flickered in the pit of his stomach made him assault the bag even fiercer than before. His mind was filled with distress, his body felt numb as the feeling of devastation took over.

He had not seen her in two months, but it did not make it any easier. Being away from her while busying himself became straightforward, but when she walked through that door, everything came rushing back like a tidal wave.

With one final hit, Austin stepped away from the object. Wiping his head, he removed the boxing gloves from his hands.

"You only box when you are angry."

Austin jumped, turning to spot Dez at the bottom the basement stairway. Inhaling, Austin nodded, sitting on the sofa while sipping from a water bottle.

"Yeah, I know."

Dez made his way to sit in front of Austin.

"What's going on, Aus? You've been missing in action for three days."

Austin stared into the green eyes of his gingered haired friend. "Ally and I broke up."

Dez sighed, looking down at the floor. "I figured that was the case. What happened?" Dez interrogated, and Austin groaned. "She would not tell me the real reason why she left, Dez. She looked me in the eye and refused to tell me, admitting that enrollment was not the only reason for her leaving."

Dez's eyes widened. "I don't know her anymore. I can always, always read her, better than my favorite book. I know what she is thinking with a simple look, we can have a telepathic conversation with each other from across the room, and there isn't a day that goes by that Ally isn't an open book to me. However; nothing was the same."

"Austin, you aren't the same person either. A lot can change about a person in two months." Dez replied simply, and Austin raised his shoulders. "Yeah, well, Ally did a three-sixty."

Austin cupped his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Do you miss her?" Dez questioned gently, and Austin tensed. Was that even a question?

"So damn much. I've never felt this before; it feels like there is a heavy weight on my chest, my stomach has a permeant dropping feeling, and, as silly as it sounds, my entire world feels like it is crashing down. I can't fucking do anything; eat, think, or concentrate. The only things I do are workout and sleep."

"Buddy, you are experiencing heartbreak."

Austin shook his head. "No, heartbreak was when I did not want to leave my bed for a week after Cassidy broke up with me. This is different, I can't see myself without Ally. She consumed me, and now I feel empty."

Austin bit his lip. Never thinking that he would be in this position. A position where he let a girl affect him this much, where he could not picture a future without her.

"I just lost my world."

/

Ally tapped her pencil against the desk, letting her eyes wander around the room as she thought of a solution to a literature question. Mentally groaning, she tapped her fingers before reading over the rest of the questions.

"You have fifteen more minutes."

Ally jumped, looking up at the clock. She was only on question three, and she had been in here an hour.

"Damn it." Ally muttered beneath her breath, forcing herself to focus.

Everything was quiet, leaving the only sound to be the ticking of the clock and taps of pencils against papers. Trying to tune everything out, Ally re-read the fourth question, however; she could not comprehend what she was reading.

It was like she was physically reading the words, but not processing what they were saying.

Shaking her head, she tried again. When failing again, she began to grow frustrated and anxious. The ticking of the clock grew louder, and the taps of the pencils moved faster. Gripping the pencil tighter, she tightened her told on the edge of the desk.

The ticking became louder, the taps moved at sixty miles-per-hour, and no matter hard she tried, she could understand the words on the paper.

When she began to panic, everything tripled. Her senses heightened. Closing her eyes, her lip wobbled. What was happening?

When a chair scraped across the room, Ally jumped, following the actions of the peer. Grabbing her things, she made a beeline for the door. "Ms. Dawson!"

Ally did not bother to turn around, speeding down the hallway and out of the school.

The fresh air filled her lungs, allowing her to take a breath as she clenched her shirt before looking down at her feet. She counted to ten before looking up at the sky. She was finally learning what grounded her.

Making her was hastily towards her vehicle, Ally sobbed when shutting the door. The entire car filled with the sounds of her muffled cries. Hitting the steering wheel with force, her cries grew louder. She wanted to scream.

The pent-up frustration was getting to her.

Clenching her teeth, she could not allow her body to do anything but let out her emotions. She wanted to stop. Her chest hurt from her lack of inhalation.

"Please, make it stop." Ally whimpered, placing her head against the wheel.

She could not calm herself. She was scared.

Ally had nothing. Ally did not have the support of her father, the love of Austin, and Trish was slowly forgiving her. Shane and Dez were nowhere to be found. She was alone and she was terrified.

But, no matter how hard she tried, nothing could fill that ache. She craved to be cradled in Austin's hold, hearing his heartbeat while his aroma brought her peace. The need to cry to him while he comforted her, kept her safe, made her only more fatigued.

She missed him.

She missed the way his hazel eyes would bore into hers. The way she could feel his intense gaze as he concentrated on her from afar, taking her in. She missed the way his hand always seemed to unintentionally find her, interlocking their fingers without a second thought. His hugs bring her constant security, him hugging her tightly as if he were afraid she would disappear. His warmth surrounding her, their hearts eventually becoming in sync.

She missed how his contagious laughed filled the room. The sound of his voice after a long, stressful day, always making her entire night, bringing her joy, peace, and comfort in knowing he was there.

She missed his fingers running through her hair. His lips kissing her forehead or laying her against his chest.

She missed the way she could fit perfectly under his arm, or into his side. Wrestling with him, him pretending to find her pathetic punches harmful and him being so gentle as if he were scared to hurt a single hair on her body.

No one knew how much it hurt.

What hurt was realizing she was grieving the loss of someone who was currently alive.

/

It took a while, but Ally had finally calmed herself down.

She had to drive to the nearest coffee shop in order to get away from her peers, not wanting them to see her mental breakdown.

Walking out with a cup of tea, she made her way to her car, possibly on the verge of another mental crisis. As she reached her door, she dropped her keys when going to unlock the vehicle.

"Damn it!" She cursed, bending down to retrieve them. Moving her hair to one side to keep it out of her face.

"Ah, the famous Ally Dawson is back in town."

Ally froze. Squeezing her cup, a bit of the tea peaked from beneath the lid. Pursing her lips, Ally felt the bubbling anger rising from within her stomach.

"What the fuck do you want?" Ally gritted, turning around to face her ultimate nightmare.

Dallas smirked, leaning against the car, closing the distance between them. "Aw, don't look so unhappy to see me," Dallas playfully pouted.

Ally shook her head slightly. "I suggest you get out of my sight."

Fear spiked in her stomach at the look in his eyes, seeing those emerald eyes in her sleep, however; with everything that had happened to her in the past week and a half since arriving, she was beyond furious.

"I take it you are angry with me," Dallas questioned. Ally scoffed. "I skipped angry and went straight to pissed off."

Dallas shrugged, not bothering to pay attention to her threats. "Eh, what can you do?"

Ally threw her hot tea all over his expensive suit, and while he cursed, she pushed him roughly. He back landed against the truck, and Ally grabbed him by the collar, bringing him down to her level.

"You've ruined every fucking thing for me!" Ally shouted, the rims of her eyes shining. "All because you could not keep your dick in your pants."

Ally kneed him where it would hurt, and he doubled, Ally had yet to release him. "I'm fucking done. Do whatever the hell you want to, I-I'm not your fucking doll anymore. You want a fight, then a fight is what you'll get."

Her voice was shaky, not nearly as confident as she would have liked, but she had to get out of there before losing it completely.

Dallas fell to the ground as Ally let go of him. Opening the car door, she backed out quickly before speeding out of the parking lot.

/

Austin was slowly tidying his room back to normal while washing his clothes.

He was heading back to college in three days, and he had been putting off his to-dos until the last minute.

Hearing the doorbell downstairs, he groaned while taking notice of the time.

Five in the evening.

Rolling his eyes, he slowly made his way down the stairs, not bothering to keep them from waiting.

Luckily, he was the only one home, leaving it to be up to him to answer the door. Oh, the joy.

Slinging open the door, Austin went to speak but was cut off by the young girl in front of him.

His eyes widened as he took in her puffy eyes with darkened circles beneath them, smudged mascara, and blotchy skin from the numerous amount of crying. Her cheeks were flushed while her hair fell in a tangled mess to her just beneath her shoulders. Her hands were shaking profusely, silent tears falling one after the other.

Multiple hiccups escaped her throat.

Austin felt his body tense in worry. She looked awful.

"I-I ca-can't do thi-this anym-more."

* * *

 **I know, I know that I told you all that a chapter would be up soon. I apologize, time got away from me. In all honesty, I've had this chapter written for a while but have not had time to update it.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Leave a review ;)**

 **God Bless**

 **~Meg**


	27. Chapter 27

_Previously…_

 _Slinging open the door, Austin went to speak but was cut off by the young girl in front of him._

 _Multiple hiccups escaped her throat._

 _Austin felt his body tense in worry. She looked awful._

" _I-I ca-can't do thi-this anym-more."_

 _/_

Austin's heart skipped a beat with each stutter she spoke.

Stepping aside, he let her in without a word.

Calming herself, she looked around the household, not having been here in such a long time, everything brought her comfort.

"Ally…what are you doing here?" Austin asked gently, and Ally looked around, biting her lip. The last she wanted to do was sob and beg for his forgiveness while telling him she wanted him back. That was not how they done things.

"I-I." Ally stopped herself, not having the words to explain. What did she say?

Slowly sitting on the couch, she rested her face in her hands. Closing her eyes, she swore if she were not so riled, she could have fallen asleep. Exhaustion from not being able to rest correctly and crying all evening had caught up to her.

Taking deep breaths, she looked back up at him. Austin finally got a good look at her.

Her eyes appeared heavy as if she were having trouble keeping them open. They were bloodshot, her brown eyes glowing from the previous tears, just like they always had after she finished crying. Her cheeks were flushed, and her features were sunken into her face, having lost weight.

The lack of cosmetics gave him a clear view of how much this was affecting her physically.

"Ally, have you not been eating and sleeping?" Austin whispered, not moving a muscle, his eyes racking over her. He had never seen her this way. She almost looked sickly.

Ally looked away quickly, something she always did whenever avoiding the truth.

Austin sighed, studying her. She picked at her jeans, shrinking in her hoodie as if it would hide her. He walked to slowly take a seat next to her. The smell of her perfume hit him, and he greedily breathed in the memorable scent.

"I'm sorry." Ally blurted out in a whisper. "I'm so sorry, Austin."

She would not look at him, but he saw her sorrow making way down her cheeks. He remained quiet, watching her struggle to find words.

Finally, she looked at him. With her lips formed in a subtle pout, and the tears welled in her swollen eyes, Austin thought about what he would say next. Looking back down, she wiggled uncomfortably.

"Aus…say something, please." Ally breathed, but Austin did not know what to say.

"What do you want me to say, Ally?" Austin sighed, removing himself from the couch. Ally looked down at the floor, tears falling off the tip of her nose.

"You left me, Ally. You did exactly what I said you wouldn't do. I defended you against yourself, and you go and prove yourself right." Austin argued. "You looked me in the eyes and told me you weren't going to tell me the real reason why you left."

Ally felt like she had been punched in the gut.

She wanted to yell at him that he had it all wrong. That it was not her choice, that she was forced. However; she was truly at a loss for words.

She was miserable. The guilt was eating her alive, and no one knew. A person that made an appearance every day in their lives was responsible for controlling her to leave the one person who completed her like no one else.

"It's not like that, Austin. It's not what you think," Ally desperately debated, looking at him in fear. Fear that he would want nothing to do with this, that him ending it over a week ago was her last chance.

Austin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Then what? What could it possibly be, Ally? Because all it looked like was you being selfish!" Austin exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger.

Ally shook her head hastily, standing on unsteady legs. She was not being selfish. Biting her wobbling lip, she tried to control the stray tears. "I promise, it isn't something I wanted to do. I didn't want to leave you."

"Then why did you tell me that you did!" Austin yelled loudly.

"It was a fucking lie!" Ally screamed with a fallen sob, using the rest of her energy. "It was a lie." Her voice was at a whisper, staring at the blonde.

Austin became silent, staring in shock at her outburst. Swallowing, he stepped up to her, his mouth in a firm line. They locked eyes for a moment, studying each other.

"Okay. If it wasn't what I think it was, then tell me. Explain. Don't lie." Austin orders calmly, and Ally stilled in alarm. "I-I can't." Ally gasped, eyes wide before teetering backward.

"You have to be fucking kidding me." Austin groaned, stepping away from her in irritation. He ran a hand over his angered features. "Either tell me right now or leave." Her leaving was the last thing he wanted, but he had no other choice.

Ally stared in front of her, her breathing becoming uneven. Blinking away tears, Ally could not seem to get a grip. "Austin, please, just- "

"Ally, if you can't tell me the truth, you can leave. We are done for good."

Ally became to fight for control of her breathing. "I-I can't. Please."

"Get out."

"No, no. Austin, just-" Ally pleaded for time. Austin shook his head, refusing to listen to her. Closing his eyes, he repeated the words again, each of them taking his breath away. "I'm done. Get out, Ally."

Ally shook her head.

"Go!"

Ally began to shake "I'm in tr-trouble, Austin. I-I'm scared." Each stuttered was a gasp for breath in-between cries. She felt nauseous from the amount of crying, and her chest ached. "Pleas-se. Just gi-give me ti-time to explain."

Austin gaped at her. Worried what would come out of her mouth next.

/

After a glass of water and a few minutes of breathing, Ally had calmed herself enough to talk about the real reasoning behind her leaving.

Austin shut the door to his bedroom behind him, Ally sitting crisscrossed on his bed. Austin sat in front of her,

"Can you tell me what happened? How are you in trouble?" Austin requested his mouth in a firm line, tired of the arguing.

He missed her. It was extremely tiring being angry with her.

Ally cleared her throat, it being hoarse from the hysteria she had been facing this afternoon. Sighing, she looked down at the glass of water in her lap.

"The night after your graduation, you left, thinking I was right behind you. Shane asked for a ride, I gave him one. I went to the bathroom, only to hear two people talking in a whisper behind a stall. It was a male and female." Ally took a deep breath, more tears making way silently down her face.

"I heard them talking about me. It was Dallas and Kira, and they were debating a plan on God knows what. I stopped to listen. They were talking about me and you. They mentioned a deal, something about you getting the girl, Dallas admitting he lost." Ally murmured, Austin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Then, he-he admitted that he w-was the one who-who assaulted me."

Austin tensed watching the tears fall down her face.

"I r-ran. I ran to the si-side of the gym, Dallas ran after me. Austin, I thought I was in the sa-same position as las-last time, but he threatened me. He told me that-that if I men-mentioned this to anyone, that my father wou-would lose his job, yo-you would lose your scholarship, as well as Shane and Dez, Trish wou-wouldn't make any-anything of herself, and I didn't believe him at-at first." The more Ally spoke, the more upset she became. Austin reached to grab her hand, but thought against it. The more she spoke, the more ashamed he became for not looking further into her leaving.

"Then he tol-told me that he was the rea-reason no one remembered, he wa-was the reason th-the investigation di-didn't go through. I be-became terrified. I ra-ran because I was sc-scared the people I loved were going to get hurt, because of m-me."

Suddenly, Austin felt a mix of things. Mostly anger, fury even at Dallas. The next was confusion, not possibly begin able to know what was going through Ally's mind. Yet; guilt and grief replaced everything.

He pushed Ally away instead of listening to her. She had been through hell, and he failed to be by her side. Threading his fingers through his hair, he blew out a huff of air.

"I-I'm so-so sorry." Ally sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Austin immediately reached forward to bring her into a tight hug, pulling her into his lap.

Ally automatically curled into him, letting him cradle her. She buried her face into his neck, not being able to stop the cries that came from her as she felt that instant relief. That relief of contentment and security.

"Why didn't you just tell me," Austin choked, his voice thick with emotion as he clenched her tightly. He had not held her in months. The feeling of her locks running between his fingers unhurriedly, or the way her gentle breathing hit his neck gave him a feeling of well-being.

"Because I knew if I told you, you wo-would be angry. You wo-would go to Dallas, an-and he wou-would fire my da-dad and get ri-rid of your scholarship. I didn't want you to lose everything yo-you've worked so hard for to be rui-ruined because of me."

Austin squeezed his eyes shut, cupping the back of her neck. "Ally, you are so much more important to me. I thought I lost you, and losing a scholarship is nothing compared to that."

Ally let tears of bliss fall, refusing to remove herself from the crook of his neck.

She was exhausted. All she wanted for months was this. To wrap herself around Austin, him enclosing her in his embrace while showering her with words of comfort.

Closing her eyes, she focused on truly calming herself. She felt at peace, for the first time since May.

Austin felt her breathing slow, and her tears stopped. He continued to soothe her. "I'm sorry for everything I said, I love you."

Ally took in a sharp breath, not expecting to hear him say that. She never thought she would hear it again.

"I love you too," Ally whispered, and Austin smiled sadly, laying them back on the bed. Ally settling into his side.

Every once in a while, Ally's sniffles were heard, but other than that, they sat in comfortable silence. Austin played with Ally's hair.

Ally tightened her hold on him, almost as if she were scared he would disappear. Eventually, her eyes grew heavy.

"When's the last time you slept?" Austin asked in a soft voice, running his fingers lightly up and down her arm. She shrugged. "I haven't really slept well in the past week." That was a lie, she could not remember the last time she had slept throughout the entire night.

He frowned. Kissing her forehead, he pulled her closer, securing his arms around her. "Sleep, gorgeous."

Ally let a sleepy smile overtake her face before her eyes closed, her entire world consumed by Austin.

/

 _Ally laid on Austin's perfectly made bed, leaning against the headboard. Flicking through the channels on his television, she waited for him to finish an assignment for one of his classes._

" _I'm going down to grab some water, you want anything?" Ally questioned, removing from of spot of relaxation. "No, Als, I'm good."_

 _With a nod, Ally bounded down the stairway into the kitchen. They were the only ones in the house, his family out on a mini vacation that Austin could not attend considering he got home from college yesterday._

 _Grabbing a bottle of water, Ally made her way back up the stairs._

" _Wait, you are kidding!"_

 _Ally paused when hearing Austin arguing on the phone with someone. Slowly opening the door, she was careful to be quiet._

 _At the opening of the door, Austin turned to look at Ally. "Yes, sir. I understand." Hanging up the phone, Austin glared in Ally's direction._

" _Hey, are you okay? What was that about?"_

" _I lost my scholarship, because of you!" Austin yelled, making her jump, dropping the water bottle at her feet. "Wait, what! What are you talking about?" Ally questioned in confusion. The more Ally talked, the more annoyed Austin seemed to become. "I lost my scholarship all because of your stupidity! How could you let this happen!"_

 _Ally began to panic. "Au-Austin, I didn't mean for this to happen. I-I didn't think," Ally trailed, and Austin scoffed. "Of course, you didn't! You never think, your actions have consequences for other people!"_

" _Get out, go!"_

Ally jolted awake, her body wrapped loosely in Austin's comforter. Looking around, she found Austin's side of the bed empty. The air left her.

"Austin!" Ally exclaimed in fright, and Austin walked out from the bathroom, his toothbrush in his hand.

"What?" He questioned, and when seeing him, Ally immediately let herself breathe. Swallowing, she shook her head without a word, closing her eyes. Opening them, she stared down at the comforter, and Austin walked back into the room. Sitting in front of her, he took his hands to push her hair out of her face before cupping her temples.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Austin asks, his voice gruff. Ally shook her head, still focusing on her breathing and heartbeat. "I just thought..." Ally trailed, not wanting to admit that she thought he left her.

As if reading her mind, he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ally sent him a soft smile, and while Austin could tell it was forced, he still sent her one back. When Austin released her head, she looked over at the clock, it was a little before noon.

"Why did you let me sleep so late?" Ally questioned, astonished at the time. It was unlike her.

Austin chuckled lightly. "From the looks of it yesterday, you needed it. Besides, I just got up about an hour and a half ago."

Ally rolled her eyes, falling back into the mattress with a groan. "Do you wanna tell me what that dream was about?" Austin placed a hand on her leg that was under the covers. Ally's eyes widened, how he did that, she did not know.

Sighing, she decided to tell him the truth anyway. "I had a nightmare that you lost your scholarship and blamed me." Ally muttered, her eyes covered by her arm.

Austin sighed, reaching to uncover her eyes. "I'm not going to lose my scholarship, and if by chance I do, I won't blame you. I promise because I would rather have you than a scholarship. Please understand that." Austin reassured, and Ally went quiet, just staring up at him.

Placing a hand on his cheek, she smiled. He looked amused. "What?"

Shaking her head, she insisted that it was nothing. "I just missed you."

Austin's smile fell, his eyebrows knitting together in guilt. "I let you walk out of my life like that."

Ally was taken back by his response, but shook her head, looping her arms around his neck. "I was the one who walked out of yours. I was weak and did not fight back. I should have explained to you what was happening, but I didn't. There is no need to blame yourself."

Austin sighed, studying the girl beneath him. She may have looked different, and a few qualities may have changed, but she was still his Ally.

They continued to stare at each other before Austin closed his eyes and captured her lips in his. The both of them sighed instantly, the craving that had been eating them alive for the past three months had finally perished.

Each of their feelings was poured into the kiss. It was not hasty, it was not rough. It was unhurried, gradual, compassionate, and not but fierce adoration. The list could go on, and Ally felt warmth gather from behind her closed eyes. It was a kiss of pure want and love.

They wanted each other in their lives, there was no doubt about it, and the love they shared was something that each of them would only feel once in their lifetime, with each other. It was unpredictable, explosive, wild, all the while promising and secure.

A tear trailed down Ally's face. When he walked away from her, it was the worst feeling she had ever experienced. The last time she felt this was at his graduation, she thought that would be the last time, and that thought alone was enough to make her weep in joy.

Pulling away, Austin kissed her nose, and she giggled. Next, he kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally, her stray tear.

Austin rested on his forearms, taking a hand, he cupped her cheek. She looked beautiful, lying beneath him, her hair sprawled across the pillows. Her face bare of any cosmetics while dressed in just one of his hoodies. Her eyes glowed, not with tears, but with devotion and passion.

He wished he could take a picture.

Leaning down, he rested his face in the crook of her neck, copying her actions from the night before. However; he began to place dainty kisses on the underside of her jaw. She giggled once again while squirming, Austin smirked before continuing further.

Latching to her collarbone, he heard her let out a tiny gasp of pleasure. He maneuvered his way back up, stealing another kiss from her. This one was a bit fiercer and lust filled. They both fought for dominance.

When Ally removed her grip from his hair, she trailed her fingers down to the edges of his shirt before tugging. He pulled away. "Nu-uh, Dawson. This isn't how this is going to work," he murmured huskily against her lips, and she laughed, allowing him to grip her wrist, bringing them above her head.

He followed her with a chuckle, reaching to remove the oversized hoodie from her body, leaving her in just her undergarments. Pausing, he trailed his eyes over her body. She was just as beautiful as he remembers only a bit thinner.

"What?" Ally whispered in fear. Austin quickly looked up at her, noticing that he was giving her the wrong impression. He smiled gently, kissing her softly. "You look beautiful, gorgeous, but you haven't been eating."

Ally looked down sheepishly, knowing he would notice the lack of nourishment to her body.

Tilting her head, he grinned down at her. "I'll fix that later, however: I think I was busy."

Ally let out a bout of joyful laughter as he slid her further down the bed to be completely underneath him.

He followed suit with a smile before continuing with his actions.

For the first time in three months, he felt complete, and he made sure to show that with every kiss, every touch, and every movement. All to the girl he was undeniably in love with.

/

Ally was woken again, only this time, under different circumstances. Her phone on the nightstand rang, and Ally groaned, rolling into Austin's side before reaching across him to grab it.

"Hello?" Ally answered with a yawn.

" _Ally, where in the hell are you?"_ Trish demanded over the phone, and Ally instantly became confused.

"What are you talking about, Trish?" Ally whispered with a soft sigh, running a hand over her face. Rolling over, she found Austin sound asleep. She smiled at the sight, leisurely tracing soothing circles on his bare abdomen with her finger. Her head rested on his shoulder.

" _You've been gone since last night; your car isn't at your house. I swear to everything above if you've left again."_ Trish ranted, and Ally chuckled, glancing at the clock. It was a little after seven in the evening.

"Trish, Trish. I'm at Austin's." Ally confirmed softly, and Trish gasped. _"O my God, you are? And you've been over there since last night, haven't you?"_ Trish interrogated, and Ally chuckled lightly.

"Yes, I have."

" _O my God!"_ She squealed, and Ally rolled her eyes wholeheartedly. _"I'm assuming you two had hot makeup sex?"_

Ally's eyes widened as she sputtered at the question. "Trish!" Ally shouted quietly, and she felt Austin chuckled. Looking up, she found him awake while looking amused, his classic smirk playing on his lips.

Ally blushed, looking down.

"I'm not answering that question," Ally responded, and she heard Trish gasp once more. _"I'm gonna take that as a yes."_

Ally rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, T."

" _Goodbye."_ Trish sang, and Ally hung up the phone. Giving it to Austin, he reached to place it back on the table. Ally sighed, coiling her way back into Austin. He kissed her temple, running his hand up and down her naked back.

"Where are your parents?" Ally asked, noticing that they had, had the house to themselves since late yesterday evening. "They had to travel up to Jacksonville for Emmy's dance competition. They will be back sometime tomorrow afternoon."

Ally nodded. "When do you head back to Tallahassee?" Dread filled her at the thought of him going back to college, being seven hours away from her.

"I go back the day after tomorrow," Austin admitted, and Ally let out a breath. "Well, that sucks."

Austin nodded sadly. "It does," Ally bit her lip in thought. Could they make long distance work after everything they had just gone through?

"Hey." Austin locked eyes with Ally. "I already lost you once, I don't plan to lose you again. We will make this work. Okay?"

Ally sent him a small smile, wanting to believe everything that came out of his mouth, but she didn't. She knew that long distance was going to be tough on them after he got the offer before graduation, but now that they have just gotten back together, she was scared of letting him go.

"Let's hope," Ally murmured, sitting up to stretch, holding the sheets to cover herself.

Austin sat up behind her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders before kissing it softly.

"Ally," Austin spoke her name seriously, not letting his voice get above a whisper. Ally let out a sigh, wrapping the sheets around her before walking into Austin's closet. Grabbing one of Austin's plaid shirts, she buttoned it before walking out.

Austin watched her quietly. He smiled as she reached down to pull up the bottom left drawer of his dresser. She looked surprised when still seeing all her clothes, that she had left over the past year, in it. Reaching towards the back, she retrieved some fresh undergarments.

After she finished dressing herself, she turned to Austin, worry shining brightly in her café colored eyes. "What if we can't?" Her voice was nearly inaudible. Austin had never seen her so unsure about their relationship before.

He frowned, grabbing sweatpants to pull on over his boxers before walking towards her.

"Why wouldn't we?" Austin questioned, and Ally shrugged, throwing her hands up.

"I don't know. Because things are unsteady? We've never been this rocky before, Aus. What if you being seven hours away doesn't help anything." Ally voiced her concerns. Austin furrowed his eyebrows, reaching out to pull her closure.

"Baby, we don't know what will happen, but I do know that I don't want to lose you," Austin spoke seriously, not breaking eye contact. "When I told you that morning at the beach house that I was gonna marry you one day, I wasn't lying. One day, when we both have our lives figured out, then I'm gonna ask you to marry me. When have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Ally let out a chuckle, her eyes watery. Austin smiled, reaching to wipe her eyes. Connecting his forehead with hers, Austin nuzzled their noses. Ally roamed her eyes over his features, loving how prominent his smile lines were when he laughed.

"We can make it work, Als. I may not be sure about anything else in this world, but I am sure that I love you. Love is risky, but it is also something worth taking a risk on. You are worth taking a risk on."

Ally smirked, reaching to cup his cheek. "Since when did you become the one good with words?"

Austin shrugged. "I read a lot into films, I'm pretty sure that came from a movie."

Ally let out a bout of laughter, and Austin's heart fluttered at the sound. Leaning down, he kissed her soundly, pushing her carefully against his desk. Ally smirked into the kiss, jumping to wrap herself around his torso.

Ally craned her neck as Austin traveled his way down. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I'm starving." Ally admitted shyly, and Austin chuckled, pulling away to look at her. "What do you want?" Austin questioned, and Ally pondered, relaxing comfortably as he held her with ease.

"Can we get pizza?" Ally looked down at him in request, and he nodded. "Oh, and ice cream?"

Austin laughed, before nodding once again. "We can go to Mike's?" Austin told, referring to a diner that severed homemade pizzas with an old-fashioned ice cream stand.

"Oh, yay!" Ally excitedly jumped from Austin's arms onto her feet. "Alright, go get dressed." Austin popped her bottom. Ally rolled her eyes, walking into his bathroom. She felt relieved when finding everything that she had left in its rightful place. It was almost as if she had moved in.

Spending the night and entire day with Austin was exactly what she needed. To rekindle what they had, and realizing that it never left. She had been the one to leave. The thought of her leaving made guilt rush through her, and the thought of her actually telling Austin what happened made her stomach churn.

Had she been too hasty? What if he spoke to Dallas, or Dallas actually owned up to his threats. His father was a powerful man, but would he really ruin her father and boyfriend's careers? She didn't know.

As she splashed cold water on her face and rinsed it with face wash, she suddenly wished she had changed her mind. She wished that she had not told Austin because even if he did not blame her for the possibility of getting his scholarship taken, she would. She did not know if she could live with the fact that she was the one that ruined Austin's successful future. He had worked too hard for it.

Looking back up at the mirror, Ally noticed how much she had actually changed. She actually studied herself in the mirror.

She looked completely different that she had before she left for New York.

Ally Dawson was reformed, and nothing would be the same.

Her relationship was different, her body was different, her personality was different, her home life was different, and the list could keep going. However; with all change, there were positive outlooks.

Ally had always been an optimistic person, but she had recently lost herself. Maybe it was time to find herself again.

But, the correct way this time.

/

"Gorgeous, are you ready?"

Ally grinned at the pet name. Ally finished curling the last piece of her shortened hair. "Almost, you can come in." The door opened, and in stepped Austin, freshly cleaned and stylish. Ally smiled, looking him up and down, loving the way his longer hair swept perfectly to the side.

"Are there any straight pieces?" Ally turned to show him the back of her head, and he knitted his eyebrows before motioning for the curler. She had it to him, and he curled it with ease. Ally was a bit amused, but Austin ignored her, continuing to curl the pieces she missed.

"I like your hair like this?" Austin broke the comfortable silence, running his fingers through the heated curl. Ally raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You do?" He nodded, looking at her from the mirror. He confirmed it with a nod.

"You cut all the blonde out, it makes you look a bit older," Austin voiced, and Ally tilted her head in observation. Her brunette locks made her demeanor look darker, almost unapproachable to a stranger. While it only fell a little above her breast, it was a big shock when cutting it, having had her hair fall to mid-back.

"Most boyfriends don't approve when their girlfriends change or cut their hair," Ally pointed out, and Austin rolled his eyes. "Well, last time I checked, that was not their decision. I can't stand guys like that."

Ally giggled at her boyfriend's opinions on possessive men. She found it enduring.

When he put the curling iron down, she turned, reaching to wrap her arms around his neck. Placing her lips to his, she kissed him soundly. He hummed, gripping her hips in pleasure. He nipped her bottom lip before pulling away.

"What was that for?" Austin questioned, and Ally shrugged innocently. "Because I can." She could not seem to get enough of him.

Austin smirked, reaching down to kiss her once again before pulling away. "You ready?"

Ally nodded, walking out of the bathroom.

/

Austin opened the entrance of the café, allowing Ally to walk in before him.

"You wanna grab a booth on the deck?" Austin questioned, his hand resting on her mid of her back, rubbing soothing circles. She looked out the window, noticing the deck was empty. She nodded.

"Alright, I'll order, you go grab us a seat."

She nodded, making her way towards the door that led to the opened patio. 'Mike's' was a small café that sat close to the ocean, known for the view that it provided while enjoying your meal.

Ally smiled, her converse slapping against the wood as she made her way to the railing. Leaning against it, she breathed deeply, the salty ocean air filling her senses while the crisp breeze blew her hair back. Looking up, she stared at the millions of stars, loving how they twinkled now that they were out of the city lights.

It reminded her of her first date with Austin.

"I will never understand you and the beach at night."

Ally turned at Austin's appearance. She smiled, knowing that it was a feeling of contentment and excitement that she would never be able to explain.

"I don't know, something about the sound of waves crashing while the moon is high in the sky sparks something in me," she admitted with a grin, and Austin smirked, walking behind her to wrap her in his embrace.

Words could not describe the feeling she gave him. It was better than the feeling of the beach at midnight.

"Shouldn't your father be wondering where you are by now?" Austin rested his chin on her shoulder, and she shrugged. "He is out of town on a business trip, he isn't really talking to me. You know," Ally trailed, and Austin sighed, afraid that would happen.

"Shouldn't your parents be questioning what you are doing," Ally fired back softly, and he shook his head. "No, they trust me. Ya know, being a responsible eighteen-year-old and all."

"Your mother has called you more than five times, hasn't she?"

"It's been eight."

Ally laughed, and Austin followed, hating how well she knew him.

"I like nobody knowing where we are?" Ally admitted, and Austin cracked a joke. "Why, running to New York give me a sense of adventure?" While it was light-hearted, she tensed. Turning, she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"No, running off with you gives me a sense of adventure."

Austin sighed, kissing the tip of her nose. "Yeah, I agree. Maybe we should do it more often."

Ally nodded enthusiastically, and Austin laughed, remembering to keep that in mind.

They stared out at the ocean until their food came.

"How was New York this go around?" Austin asked after swallowing a bite of pizza, and Ally thought about her answer. "Um, I love the city and NYU, but I did not enjoy it considering the circumstances."

Austin nodded, not really wanting to think of the circumstances.

"Well, besides that, how was your summer?" Austin interrogated again, and Ally shrugged. "I wish I could say that it was amazing. I was in one of the world's most amazing cities, with such opportunities, and all I could do was mope. Then, my mother got me out of her apartment. She told me that I should take my enrollment seriously and that I should have some fun."

"What did you do for fun?" Austin raised his eyebrows, and suddenly, her eyes began to twinkle. "I would travel the city. There are so many amazing places, and since it is the oldest city in America, there was so much history. It was unbelievable, and I geeked out a bit."

Austin dissolved into light laughter. She swatted his arm.

"I began to write about them." Austin nodded, motioning for her to continue. "My mother is a part-time journalist, and I've always enjoyed writing. Yet, when I went to stay with her, she opened up a whole new realm to me. I think that might be what I want to do after college," Ally admitted sheepishly, and Austin perked, knowing that she was undecided about a major and career.

"That's good, right?" Ally shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so, but Aus, if that's what I want to do, my best bet would be to go to NYU. My mother is a professor there, and they offer an amazing journalism program."

Austin nodded, but Ally still looked unsure. "What?" He reached across the table, and she bit her lip. "Aus, what would that mean for us?"

Austin paused. He had not thought about the consequences for them, her moving to New York for school and a career. He only worried about what she wanted to do.

"Well, I'll support you, Als. You know that. If you want to move to New York, and this is really, really want you want to do, then I say go for it. As long as you are sure." Austin encouraged, and Ally's insides melted, realizing how lucky she was to have a boyfriend as supportive as him.

That did not stop her worry.

"And I'm grateful for that, but I can't stop thinking about us. You'll be playing football for the Seminoles, and then be drafted into an NFL team. What happens if your team is all the way across the country from me? Football players play until they are forty. If I become a journalist, I'll have to stay in New York, or possibly travel the world, what then?"

Austin reached to place a hand on hers, calming her nervous rant. "Hey, it will all work out. You don't have to plan your future around me."

Ally's face dropped. "I want too, Aus. What if things get too difficult. I never thought I would have to plan my future around a guy, but I never want to lose you, so I have to plan my future around you. Which does not bother me, but what if we never get our career choices on the right path and we have to break up."

Austin reached to cover her mouth, amused by her rambling. Staring straight into her eyes, he made sure she was paying attention.

"We are going to be fine. Do you hear me?"

Ally knitted her eyebrows, and he slowly removed his hand. He had so much faith in them, why did she not? Sighing, she looked down at their gripped hands.

"I just, I want us to have an easy life. Move to the same place, the same college before getting engaged, and then settling down while financially stable. Get married and have a family. I just can't picture that if we got into such different careers across the country from each other."

Austin squeezed her hand. "You are the easiest thing in my life, something I'm so sure about, and I've never had something so sturdy, well had, and the thought of our relationship being drug through something like that," Ally trailed, and Austin finished. "Will make us stronger, Als."

He reached to cup her cheek. "Things are going to happen, things are going to change. I know the only reason this is coming from you is because I'm in college and you are graduating in May. This is adulthood, but that doesn't mean that things can't be simple. We can make it, as long as we trust each other, love each other, and stay loyal and honest with each other."

Austin wished to hold her tight, explain all the reason for her not to worry, but they both knew it was not that easy. She had every right to worry, but chances are, the two of them had a strong enough connection to undergo anything.

They just had to prove that.


End file.
